Successful Treatment of Peripheral Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy with Cryocoagulation During Retinal Detachment Repair – A New Surgical Technique

Abstract

Josef Guber,1,2 Corina Lang,1 Hendrik PN Scholl,2– 4 Ivo Guber,5 Christophe Valmaggia1 1Eye Clinic, Cantonal Hospital Sankt Gallen, Sankt Gallen, Switzerland; 2Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland; 3Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), Basel, Switzerland; 4Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; 5Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Geneva, Geneva, SwitzerlandCorrespondence: Josef GuberConsultant Ophthalmic Surgeon Email [email protected]: To evaluate the effect of extrascleral cryocoagulation for the treatment of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) during retinal detachment repair.Methods: Patients with a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with peripheral PVR Grade C star-folds were included in this study and analysed retrospectively. In all patients, PVR star-folds were treated by extrascleral cryocoagulation.Results: A total of six patients with a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with at least one peripheral PVR star-fold were included in this study. Reattachment of the retina was successfully achieved in all patients.Conclusion: This novel and simple technique for the treatment of localized PVR using extrascleral cryocoagulation appears to be a safe and effective approach with favourable surgical success rates.Keywords: vitrectomy, pars plana vitrectomy, retinal detachment, retinal detachment repair, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, cryotherapy

Keywords

• vitrectomy
• pars plana vitrectomy
• retinal detachment
• retinal detachment repair
• proliferative vitreoretinopathy
• cryotherapy