Pigment fallout and uveitis after cryotherapy.

Cryotherapy, first advocated by Bietti (I933), has been widely accepted as a useful means of achieving adhesion in the treatment of retinal detachment. It was later popularised by Lincoff, McLean, and Nano (i964), who subsequently used this form of treatment in their modifications of the Custodis procedure for the treatment of retinal detachment (Lincoff, Baras, and McLean, I965). Various complications of cryosurgery after its use in the treatment of retinal detachments have been described. Pigment fallout was observed by Abraham and Shea (I968), Johnston and Okun (i969), and Sudarsky and Yannuzzi (1970). Uveitis in the postoperative period was described by Lincoff and McLean (I966) and Abraham and Shea (i 968). The purpose of this study was to observe the incidence and clinical features of pigment fallout and postoperative uveitis, and to study the relationship of these complications to the severity of cryoapplication.