Pneumatic retinopexy for retinal detachment associated with severe choroidal detachment.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of pneumatic retinopexy as an initial management of retinal detachment associated with hypotony, severe choroidal detachment, and vitritis. METHODS Retrospective, interventional, noncomparative case series. We included nine eyes from nine patients (six women and three men) with retinal detachment associated with hypotony, severe choroidal detachment, and vitritis managed with pneumatic retinopexy (either SF6 or C3F8) as their initial management between January 1, 1992, and December 31, 2007. RESULTS Hypotony and choroidal detachment were rapidly and significantly improved 1 to 3 days after pneumatic retinopexy in all patients. The extent of retinal detachment was decreased in five patients. After vitreoretinal surgery for these five patients, all had attached retina. Complete reattachment of the retina was noted in four patients after pneumatic retinopexy. Two of these patients did not require further surgery because the entire retina remained attached at 6 months and 16 months postoperatively. CONCLUSION Pneumatic retinopexy is a useful initial procedure in managing retinal detachment associated with hypotony, severe choroidal detachment, and vitritis. By rapidly resolving the hypotony and choroidal detachments, it facilitates subsequent surgical repair of this complicated retinal detachment. In addition, complete retinal reattachment after pneumatic retinopexy alone was initially achieved in 33% of eyes.