OUTCOMES OF VITREORETINAL SURGERY IN PATIENTS WITH X-LINKED RETINOSCHISIS

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcomes of vitreoretinal surg ery in the treatment of vision-threatening posterior segment complicat ions of X-linked retinoschisis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The authors perf ormed a retrospective analysis of IG eyes from II patients who underwe nt vitreoretinal surgery, All the patients had a documented positive f amily history of X-linked retinoschisis, and all patients had bilatera l macular disease. RESULTS: The ages of the patients ranged from 14 mo nths to 37 years (mean age 15.1 years; median age 11.5 years), and pos toperative follow-up ranged from 3 months to 10 years (mean 2.8 years; median 1 year), The indications for surgical intervention included rh egmatogenous retinal detachment (12 eyes), vitreous hemorrhage (2 eyes ), progression of the schisis cavity through the fovea (2 eyes), catar act-associated with a persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous-like co ndition (2 eyes), and exudative maculopathy (1 eye). The primary surgi cal intervention included pars plana vitrectomy alone (7 eyes), pars p lana vitrectomy and pars plana lensectomy (4 eyes), and a scleral buck le procedure alone (5 eyes), Surgical success (defined as reattachment of the retina, removal of media opacities, or arrest of schisis progr ession) was achieved in 14 of 16 eyes, after an average of 1.2 procedu res per eye, The major reason for reoperations was recurrent retinal d etachment due to proliferative vitreoretinopathy, Two eyes were eventu ally enucleated due to pain associated with neovascular glaucoma resul ting from recurrent retinal detachment. Of the remaining 14 eyes, visu al acuity improved in 8 eyes and remained unchanged in 6 eyes. CONCLUS ION: Vitreoretinal surgery is often helpful in stabilizing or improvin g visual function in patients with posterior segment complications fro m X-linked retinoschisis.