Silicone oil removal after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment: Comparing techniques

Purpose: To assess the outcome of silicone oil removal after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) surgery, and to compare results of a two-port (infusion-extraction) versus a three-port (full vitrectomy) approach. Methods: Primary outcome measure was the rate of redetachment. Secondary outcome measures were visual acuity, rate of intraoperative and postoperative epiretinal membrane removal and complications. Results: We included 147 consecutive cases. There were 15 cases of giant retinal tear, 26 cases of RRD without proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) and 106 cases of RRD with PVR. The overall redetachment rate after silicone oil removal was 17.7%. In the group treated with the two-port technique (n=95), the retina redetached in 16 cases (16.8%), and in the group treated with the three-port technique (n=52), redetachment occurred in 10 cases (19.2%). This difference was not statistically significant (P=0.717; χ ²-test). There was a significantly higher redetachment rate in cases with a short oil tamponade duration of <2 months. Conclusion: We reconfirm a relatively high redetachment rate after silicone oil removal. The risk of redetachment is not lower with the three-port compared with the two-port approach.