PURPOSE: To report pars plana vitrectomy results of intravitreous use of liquid perfluorocarbon as a short-term postoperative tamponade in retinal detachment due to giant tears in a series of patients. METHODS: Ten of those patients, all of them complicated by proliferative vitreoretinopathy grade B or worse, with tear extension varying from 90 masculine to 210 masculine were studied. Perfluorocarbon liquid was injected via pars plana until the posterior tear limit, remaining in the postoperative period during five days, with the patients in supine position. After this period, the patients underwent a second surgical procedure to exchange the liquid perfluorocarbon for gas or silicone oil. RESULTS: The retinas of eight patients were attached (80%) after a mean follow-up of 16.2 +/- 12.4 months (from 2 to 43 months). It was necessary to repeat this technique in one (10%) case, and there was no attachment of the retina in two (20%) cases due to advanced proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Visual acuity improved in five (50%) cases. CONCLUSION: Good results (80%) and improvement of the visual acuity (50%) were observed with the use of intravitreous liquid perfluorocarbon as short-term tamponade in the postoperative period in patients with retinal detachments due to giant tears.
PURPOSE: To report pars plana vitrectomy results of intravitreous use of liquid perfluorocarbon as a short-term postoperative tamponade in retinal detachment due to giant tears in a series of patients. METHODS: Ten of those patients, all of them complicated by proliferative vitreoretinopathy grade B or worse, with tear extension varying from 90 masculine to 210 masculine were studied. Perfluorocarbon liquid was injected via pars plana until the posterior tear limit, remaining in the postoperative period during five days, with the patients in supine position. After this period, the patients underwent a second surgical procedure to exchange the liquid perfluorocarbon for gas or silicone oil. RESULTS: The retinas of eight patients were attached (80%) after a mean follow-up of 16.2 +/- 12.4 months (from 2 to 43 months). It was necessary to repeat this technique in one (10%) case, and there was no attachment of the retina in two (20%) cases due to advanced proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Visual acuity improved in five (50%) cases. CONCLUSION: Good results (80%) and improvement of the visual acuity (50%) were observed with the use of intravitreous liquid perfluorocarbon as short-term tamponade in the postoperative period in patients with retinal detachments due to giant tears.