Pneumatic retinopexy with drainage of subretinal fluid.

Thirty bullous retinal detachments were treated with pneumatic retinopexy and drainage of subretinal fluid. Patient selection criteria were similar to pneumatic retinopexy. All the eyes were reattached after the first operation. In three (10%) eyes new breaks with retinal detachment developed within two months after the initial operation and were treated with scleral buckling. One of these three eyes developed proliferative vitreoretinopathy grade D3 two months after scleral buckling. Twenty-nine (96.7%) out of thirty eyes were eventually reattached. The follow-up period was at least nine months. Visual acuity was maintained or improved in 29 (96.7%) eyes. Complications developing due to subretinal fluid like extension of detachment, persistence of subretinal fluid, subretinal gas, reopened retinal breaks were not encountered. By applying cryotherapy to a reattached retina after drainage of subretinal fluid, retinal pigment epithelial dispersion is decreased and the so-called steamroller technique is avoided. Drainage of subretinal fluid did not prevent a good success rate and did not result in additional complications.