[Treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment by pneumatic retinopexy: a review of 50 patients]. / Traitement du décollement de rétine rhegmatogène par rétinopexie pneumatique: étude à propos de 50 cas.

PURPOSE: : To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of pneumatic retinopexy as an alternative technique for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a review of 50 patients (50 eyes) who had undergone pneumatic retinopexy as the initial procedure for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment between January 2001 and March 2006. The mean follow-up period was 22 months (range, 6-57 months). RESULTS: Pneumatic retinopexy resulted in reattachment in 35 eyes (70%) with one procedure. The final reattachment rate, after revision, was 94% (47/50 eyes). In seven eyes (14%), the cause of failure was the presence of missed or new retinal breaks. There was no correlation between the initial reattachment rate and the size of detachment, the status of the macula at presentation, the number of retinal breaks, and the type of retinopexy (cryotherapy or laser photocoagulation). A two-line or more improvement in Snellen acuity was achieved in 24 of 35 eyes (68.6%). A postoperative visual acuity equal to or better than 4/10 was significantly correlated with time from first symptom to presentation less than 1 month (p=0.05), preoperative visual acuity equal to or better than 4/10 (p=0.02), and attached macula at presentation (p=0.03). CONCLUSION: Pneumatic retinopexy appears to be an effective procedure for the initial management of primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachments with superior retinal breaks and without proliferative vitreoretinopathy.