SILICONE OIL REMOVAL COMBINED WITH MACULAR PUCKER DISSECTION - A RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW OF 14 CASES

Purpose: Silicone oil must be removed from the eye to avoid late compl ications after the surgical management of proliferative vitreoretinopa thy (PVR), Macular pucker, frequently observed after retinal detachmen t surgery, is responsible for visual impairment. The safety of a proce dure combining epimacular membrane peeling and silicone oil removal wa s retrospectively evaluated. Methods: Fourteen eyes that had previousl y undergone vitrectomy and silicone oil tamponade for rhegmatogenous r etinal detachment with severe PVR, penetrating or blunt trauma, and in traocular foreign bodies were included, Silicone oil tamponade was mai ntained for a mean period of 30 weeks (range, 12-108 weeks). The remov al of silicone oil was combined with the peeling of an epimacular memb rane. Results: Mean follow-up after silicone oil removal was 86 weeks (range, 13-234 weeks). The final retinal reattachment rate was 78%. Ma cular pucker recurred in one eye after a 24-month period. Best-correct ed visual acuity improved two lines or more in eight eyes (57%) and re ached 20/200 or better in eight eyes (57%) at last follow-up. Conclusi on: Macular pucker dissection and silicone oil removal can be safely c ombined, This single procedure can obviate the need for further surger y in eyes that have already undergone multiple operations and allows g ood visual recovery.