A COMPARISON OF STRICT FACE-DOWN POSITIONING WITH ADJUSTABLE POSITIONING AFTER PARS PLANA VITRECTOMY AND GAS TAMPONADE FOR RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENT

PURPOSE: To compare face-down positioning and adjustable positioning after pars plana vitrectomy for the repair of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. METHODS: Sixty-eight eyes from 68 patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment were included in this study. All patients received pars plana vitrectomy with long-acting gas for tamponade and then subdivided into 2 groups: 29 were included in a face-down group and 39 were included in the adjustable positioning group. Patients were followed up for 3 months. The main outcome was the rate of anatomical retinal reattachment. Secondary outcome measures were best-corrected visual acuity and postoperative complications. RESULTS: Most of the preoperative baseline characteristics between the two groups were not significantly different. The anatomical success rates after primary surgery were 89.7% and 92.3% for the face-down group and the adjustable positioning group, respectively (P = 1.00). Best-corrected visual acuity at the 3-month postoperative visit was 0.74 ± 0.25 for the face-down group and 0.77 ± 0.36 for the adjustable positioning group, respectively (P = 0.41). The rates of complications were not statistically different in the two groups. CONCLUSION: Adjustable positioning after pars plana vitrectomy and gas tamponade for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair is effective and safe. Face-down positioning seems not to be necessary for all patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.