Objectives: To identify risk factors for retinal redetachment after removal of silicone oil. To determine the effectiveness of prophylactic laser in preventing retinal redetachment after removal of silicone oil.
Design: A nonrandomized retrospective comparative interventional trial.
Participants: Three hundred seventy-six patients undergoing vitrectomy with silicone oil tamponade for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment at one institution over a 4-year period. Two hundred eighty-seven patients with fully attached retinas subsequently underwent removal of silicone oil. One hundred thirty-eight cases had undergone prophylactic 360 degrees laser retinopexy before removal of silicone oil, either at the time of their final retinal reattachment procedure (n = 36) or as a separate supplementary procedure (n = 102).
Methods: A retrospective case note review was performed to identify clinical and demographic factors associated with increased or reduced odds of retinal redetachment after removal of silicone oil. Both univariate and multiple variable analysis were used to identify significant risk factors.
Main outcome measures: Incidence of retinal redetachment after removal of silicone oil.
Results: Median follow-up after removal of silicone oil was 272 days. Three hundred sixty-degree prophylactic laser retinopexy was associated with a reduction from 26% to 14% in the incidence of redetachment after removal of silicone oil (adjusted odds ratio, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.22-0.78; P = 0.006). Patients requiring further retinal reattachment surgery after their first oil procedure were at twice the odds of re-detachment after oil removal (adjusted odds ratio, 2.10; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-4.26; P = 0.04).
Conclusions: The need for retinal reattachment surgery subsequent to a first silicone oil procedure was associated with twice the odds of retinal redetachment after removal of silicone oil. Prophylactic laser retinopexy may halve the incidence of retinal redetachment after removal of silicone oil.