Efficacy of scleral buckling for retinal detachment secondary to familial exudative vitreoretinopathy

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy of scleral buckling in the treatment of retinal detachment (RD) secondary to familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR).

Methods

An observational case series study was conducted.A total of 37 patients (42 eyes) of RD secondary to FEVR who were treated with scleral buckling in Beijing Tongren Hospital from July 2010 to March 2021 were enrolled.There were 30 males (35 eyes) and 7 females (7 eyes), with an average age of (15.21±5.42) years old.Scleral buckling under general anesthesia was performed in all patients.There were 22 eyes with rhegmatogenous RD (RRD), of which 21 eyes were treated with local external compression combined with cerclage, and 1 eye was treated with radial spinal compression.There were 13 eyes with tractive RD (TRD), of which 12 eyes were treated with local external compression combined with cerclage and subretinal fluid drainage, and 1 eye was treated with scleral buckling combined with vitrectomy.There were 7 eyes with RRD combined with TRD, of which 4 eyes were treated with local external compression combined with cerclage and subretinal fluid drainage, and 3 eyes were treated with scleral buckling combined with vitrectomy.The average follow-up time was (30.61±10.50) months.The main outcomes were best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of the operated eye converted to the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution, retinal reattachment rate, and incidence of complications.The study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Ethics Committee of Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University (No.TRECKY2018-056-GZ[2022]-07). Written informed consent was obtained from each subject or their guardians before entering the cohort.

Results

The average BCVA was 0.83±0.50 at last follow-up after surgery which was better than 1.10±0.39 before surgery, and the difference was statistically significant (t=6.639, P<0.001). There were 39 eyes with retinal reattachment and 3 eyes without retinal reattachment.The reattachment rate was 95.45%(21/22) in RRD, 84.62%(11/13) in TRD, and 100%(7/7) in RRD combined with TRD.No serious complication occurred in any patients during postoperative follow-up.

Conclusions

On the premise of optimized surgical strategy based on the indications of RD secondary to FEVR, scleral buckling has a high retinal reattachment rate in the treatment of RD secondary to FEVR.

Familial exudative vitreoretinopathy; Retinal detachment; Scleral buckling; Treatment outcomes; Retinal reattachment rate; Visual acuity