Pediatric rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in East Asians.
OBJECTIVE
To describe clinical features, predisposing factors, and surgical outcomes of retinal detachment in different age groups in a pediatric population.


METHODS
Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series.


METHODS
A total of 296 eyes from 278 children younger than 18 years of age underwent the first surgical procedure for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment between 1983 and 2003. They were divided into 3 age groups: 38 eyes in group 1 (0-10 years), 107 eyes in group 2 (11-15 years), and 151 eyes in group 3 (16-18 years).


METHODS
Predisposing factors for retinal detachment were classified into 4 categories: (1) high myopia, (2) trauma, (3) congenital or developmental structural ocular abnormalities, and (4) previous intraocular surgery.


METHODS
Visual acuity and retinal reattachment.


RESULTS
The mean age of the patients was 14.6 years; 73.7% were boys. The mean follow-up period was 51 months. At least 1 predisposing factor could be identified in 282 (95%) of study eyes. High myopia was most common in 111 eyes (38%). Thirty-one percent of eyes experienced trauma, 17% had structural abnormalities, and 5% underwent previous intraocular surgery. Macular involvement was found in 237 eyes (80%). The initial surgery was scleral buckling alone in 224 eyes (76%). Retinal reattachment was achieved in 214 eyes (72%) after the first operation and in 250 eyes (85%) at the end of intervention. Features seen in patients with a poor surgical outcome included congenital anomaly (P<0.001), previous intraocular surgery (P = 0.007), proliferative vitreoretinopathy grade C or worse (P<0.001), macula off (P = 0.001), total retinal detachment (P<0.001), and use of silicone oil (P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Myopia is one of the important predisposing factors of pediatric retinal detachment in East Asians. The predisposing factors, clinical features, timing of diagnosis, and frequency of proliferative vitreoretinopathy of retinal detachment are somewhat different in the 3 age groups considered. Because of higher proportions of congenital anomaly, total retinal detachment, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, and a low success rate with poor postoperative compliance, patients in group 1 experienced the lowest final reattachment rate and the worst visual recovery.
Wang
Nan-Kai
NK
Department of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Tsai
Chen-Hsin
CH
Chen
Yen-Po
YP
Yeung
Ling
L
Wu
Wei-Chi
WC
Chen
Tun-Lu
TL
Lin
Ken-Kuo
KK
Lai
Chi-Chun
CC
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009216:Myopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012160:Retina / Q000503:physiopathology; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012591:Scleral Buckling; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D018630:Vitreoretinopathy, Proliferative / Q000453:epidemiology