Intraoperative use of pure perfluoropropane gas in the management of proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

A single-step technique for fluid-gas exchange with pure perfluoropropane gas in proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is described. The technique was used in 38 eyes of 38 patients. Permanent and total retinal reattachment, with a minimum follow-up of 6 months after gas disappearance, was achieved in 24 eyes (63%). The anatomical success rate was 80.9% (17/21 eyes) in PVR grade C and 41% (7/17 eyes) in PVR grade D. Twenty-two of the successful eyes (92%) underwent a single operation. Thirteen of the successful eyes (54%) obtained final visual acuities of 0.1 or better. Severe increase of intraocular pressure postoperatively, due to overestimation of the intraocular space available for gas expansion, is a potential risk of the technique. This risk should be avoided by means of preoperative evaluation of the vitreous cavity volume with A-scan ultrasonography and intraoperative measurement of the intraocular fluid volume displaced by scleral buckling.