Outcomes of a postoperative perfluorocarbon liquid tamponade for complex retinal detachments: 12 years of experience in southern Thailand

BACKGROUND: The study evaluates both functional and anatomical outcomes of retinal detachment (RD) repair by vitrectomy and perfluorocarbon liquid (PFCL) tamponade. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent vitrectomy using PFCL tamponade for RD repair from causes such as giant tear, chronic RD, or RD with previously failed surgery. RESULTS: This study included 122 eyes from 121 patients. One-hundred fourteen eyes (93.5%) had baseline vision worse than 20/200. The median duration of intraocular PFCL retainment was 14 days before gas or silicone oil replacement. The retinal reattachment rate was 80.3%. At 1 year, the retention probability of retinal reattachment was 0.84 (95% confidence interval, 0.77–0.91). Although visual improvement was found in 45.9% of patients, the median of final vision was not different between baseline and the last visit. CONCLUSION: The rate of retinal reattachment operated with a short- to medium-term PFCL tamponade achieved a high satisfaction rate. However, postoperative hypotony was a predictor for unfavorable visual and anatomical outcomes.