Modified external needle drainage of subretinal fluid in primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment: a prospective, consecutive, interventional, single-surgeon study.
OBJECTIVE
We describe surgical outcomes in a single-surgeon, consecutive series of patients who received scleral buckle placement for primary retinal detachment using a modified external needle drainage technique.


METHODS
Eighty-two eyes of 80 patients with primary retinal detachment underwent scleral buckle placement with modified external needle drainage. Preoperative, postoperative, and surgical data were collected. Regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between preoperative clinical data and number of surgeries.


RESULTS
The retinal detachment most commonly involved 41% to 50% of the retina. Seventy-six eyes (92.7%) were repaired after 1 surgical procedure, 98.8%, after 2 procedures, and 100%, after 3 procedures. No preoperative clinical variables were found to be significantly correlated with the number of surgeries performed. Vision improved an average of 0.3 logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution or 3 lines of vision (P < 0.001). One eye (1.2%) developed a localized subretinal hemorrhage at the drainage site that resolved spontaneously.


CONCLUSIONS
The modified external needle drainage technique used during scleral buckle placement appears to be safe and effective in patients with primary retinal detachment.
Department of Ophthalmology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
Joon-Hyun
JH
Kim
Kurt M
KM
Bertram
Matthew T
MT
Quirk
Jorge G
JG
Arroyo
D001826:Body Fluids; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods*; D005122:Exudates and Transudates; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009339:Needles; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000601:surgery*; D012591:Scleral Buckling; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity