PNEUMATIC RETINOPEXY WITH DRAINAGE OF SUBRETINAL FLUID

Thirty bullous retinal detachments were treated with pneumatic retinop exy and drainage of subretinal fluid. Patient selection criteria were similar to pneumatic retinopexy. All the eyes were reattached after th e first operation. In three (10%) eyes new breaks with retinal detachm ent developed within two months after the initial operation and were t reated with scleral buckling. One of these three eyes developed prolif erative vitreoretinopathy grade D3 two months after scleral buckling. Twenty-nine (96.7%) out of thirty eyes were eventually reattached. The follow-up period was at least nine months. Visual acuity was maintain ed or improved in 29 (96.7%) eyes. Complications developing due to sub retinal fluid like extension of detachment, persistence of subretinal fluid, subretinal gas, reopened retinal breaks were not encountered. B y applying cryotherapy to a reattached retina after drainage of subret inal fluid, retinal pigment epithelial dispersion is decreased and the so-called steamroller technique is avoided. Drainage of subretinal fl uid did not prevent a good success rate and did not result in addition al complications.