PREOPERATIVE VITREOUS HEMORRHAGE ASSOCIATED WITH RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL-DETACHMENT - A RISK FACTOR FOR POSTOPERATIVE PROLIFERATIVE VITREORETINOPATHY

Background: We conducted a prospective clinical study to elucidate the role of preoperative vitreous hemorrhage in the development of postop erative proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) in primary rhegmatogenou s retinal detachment. Materials and methods: We prospectively evaluate d 409 eyes of 390 patients affected by primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment referred before any failed attempt to reattach the retina. Single and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to test 14 categories of variables. Results: Postoperative PVR occurred in 48 (11 .7% of 409 eyes). Postoperative PVR developed in 41 (11.8%) of the 347 eyes with no preoperative vitreous hemorrhage, and 7 (11.3%) of the 6 2 eyes with preoperative vitreous hemorrhage (P = 0.90). The results o f multiple logistic regression analysis showed that only four variable s were significant factors which had independently and jointly an effe ct on the risk of postoperative PVR: (1) 90 degrees or greater circumf erential extent of the retinal tears; (2) preoperative PVR grade B; (3 ) preoperative PVR grade C-D; and (4) the use of cyrotreatment as the method of retinopexy. Conclusion: With the surgical techniques current ly used, mild preoperative vitreous hemorrhage is not an independent r isk factor for postoperative PVR in primary rhegmatogenous retinal det achment. The role of moderate and severe vitreous hemorrhage remains t o be fully evaluated in a larger series of eyes.