Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of pneumatic retinopexy as an alternative technique for repairing inferior rhegmatogenous retinal detachments.
Design: Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series.
Methods: A review on 13 patients (13 eyes) who had undergone pneumatic retinopexy as the initial procedure for primary retinal detachments with causative break(s) in the inferior one third of retina. After gas injection, all patients were instructed to maintain a lateral recumbent posture with head tilting 10 cm to 30 cm downward.
Results: Nine male and 4 female patients (mean age 28.1 years, ranging from 14 to 57) were included in this study. Eleven eyes (84.6%) had myopia of -3 diopters or higher. Macular detachment was found in eight eyes. Pneumatic retinopexy alone resulted in reattachment in 10 eyes (76.9%). Three other eyes needed additional scleral buckling. Final retinal reattachment was achieved in all 13 subjects.
Conclusion: Inferior rhegmatogenous retinal detachment can be treated by pneumatic retinopexy with proper head position. More attention to the postoperative stage are required to ensure surgical success.