title: Comparison of 20-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy with conventional vitrectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the study was to compare the efficacy and safety of a transconjunctival sutureless technique for pars plana vitrectomy using conventional 20-gauge instruments versus the conventional technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical data were reviewed retrospectively for a consecutive series of patients who underwent transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy (TSV; 38 eyes of 37 patients) and a control group who underwent vitrectomy using the conventional technique (38 eyes of 38 patients).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-nine of 107 sclerotomies (83.2%) in the TSV group self-sealed without the need for sutures. The TSV group showed earlier visual improvement from baseline, as early as 7 postoperative days, compared with 60 days in the conventional group. This was attributed to less surgically induced astigmatism in the TSV group; mean astigmatism at baseline and postoperative days 7, 30, and 90 was -1.05 diopter (D), -2.53 D, -1.32 D, and -1.09 D, respectively, in the TSV group and -1.09 D, -3.91 D (P = 0.0285), -2.57 D (P = 0.0203), and -1.18 D, respectively, in the conventional group. No serious complications were observed in either group, including postoperative hypotony, wound leakage, or endophthalmitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 20-gauge TSV technique is as effective as the conventional technique and offers earlier postoperative recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Maryknoll Medical Center, Busan, Korea. jooeun2@korea.com
authors.forename: Joo Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kyeong Hwan
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ivana K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seung Youn
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Jea
authors.forename: Wan Soo
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013536:Suture Techniques; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D014821:Vitrectomy / Q000379:methods*