Retinal detachment.
BACKGROUND
Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is the most common form of retinal detachment, where a retinal "break" allows the ingress of fluid from the vitreous cavity to the subretinal space, resulting in retinal separation. It occurs in about 1 in 10,000 people a year.


METHODS
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of interventions to prevent progression from retinal breaks or lattice degeneration to retinal detachment? What are the effects of different surgical interventions in people with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment? What are the effects of interventions to treat proliferative vitreoretinopathy occurring as a complication of retinal detachment or previous treatment for retinal detachment? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library and other important databases up to September 2006 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).


RESULTS
We found 8 systematic reviews, RCTs or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.


CONCLUSIONS
In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: cryotherapy, fluorouracil plus low-molecular weight heparin added to infusion solution during vitrectomy surgery for proliferative vitreoretinopathy, laser photocoagulation, pneumatic retinopexy, scleral buckling, short-acting or long-acting gas tamponade, and silicone oil vitrectomy.
Steel
David
D
Sunderland Eye Infirmary, Sunderland, UK.
Fraser
Scott
S
D006801:Humans; D012163:Retinal Detachment; D012591:Scleral Buckling; D012827:Silicone Oils; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014821:Vitrectomy
D012827:Silicone Oils