Selection Criteria for Air Tamponade During Vitrectomy for Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment

Figures & data

Figure 1 Flow of patients through the study.

Abbreviations: RRD, rhegmatogenous retinal detachment; SB, scleral buckling; PPV, pars plana vitrectomy.

Table 1 Patient Characteristics and Results

Characteristic	Air Group (n = 156)	SF6 Group (n = 138)	P-value
Age (years), mean ± SD	61.31 ± 8.11	63.64 ± 9.79	0.0114
Sex			0.308
Female	51 (32.7%)	37 (26.8%)
Male	105 (67.3%)	101 (73.2%)
Number of breaks, mean ± SD	1.58 ± 1.04	1.67 ± 0.99	0.1615
Lower break*	29 (18.6%)	45 (32.6%)	0.007
Quadrant of RD, mean ± SD	1.55 ± 0.59	1.88 ± 0.76	0.00076
Macula detachment	57 (36.5%)	75 (54.3%)	0.0023
Phakia	137 (87.8%)	95 (68.8%)	0.0001
Primary success**	155 (99.4%)	133 (96.4%)	0.102
Postoperative ocular hypertension***	31 (19.9%)	86 (62.3%)	0.0001
Gas half-life (day), mean ± SD	3.97 ± 0.87	8.67 ± 1.47	0.0001

Notes: *Lower breaks were defined as retinal breaks located between four and eight o’clock in the detached retina. **Primary success was defined as having no additional surgery by 6 months. ***Postoperative ocular hypertension was defined as an intraocular pressure of ≥22 mmHg in this study.

Abbreviations: SD, standard deviation; RD, retinal detachment; SF6, sulfur hexafluoride.

Table 2 Primary Success Rate Depending on the Location of the Break, Lens Status and Quadrant of RD

	Air Group	SF6 Group	P-value
Location of break
Upper break	99.2% (125/126)	95.7% (89/93)	0.1656
Lower break*	100% (29/29)	97.8% (44/45)	1
Lens status
Phakia	99.3% (136/137)	95.8% (91/95)	0.1608
Non-phakia**	100% (19/19)	97.7% (43/44)	1
Quadrant of RD			0.2133
1Q	100% (78/78)	100% (42/42)
2Q	98.6% (69/70)	93.6% (73/78)
3Q	100% (8/8)	100% (11/11)
4Q	N/A	100% (7/7)

Notes: *Lower breaks were defined as retinal breaks located between four and eight o’clock in the detached retina. **Non-phakia includes pseudophakia and aphakia.

Abbreviations: RD, retinal detachment; SF6, sulfur hexafluoride; Q, quadrant.

Figure 2 Distribution of postoperative intraocular gas half-life (day) following vitrectomy for RRD between the air group and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) group.