Pars plana vitrectomy with partial tamponade of filtered air in Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment caused by superior retinal breaks

BACKGROUND: To investigate the anatomic and functional outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with partial tamponade of filtered air for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) caused by superior retinal breaks. METHODS: Retrospective, comparative, consecutive case series study. Patients with RRD caused by superior retinal breaks undergone PPV with partial tamponade (Group A) and whole tamponade (Group B) of filtered air were included. The main outcomes were primary and final success rates, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and rate of postoperative cataract surgery. RESULTS: Forty-one patients (41 eyes) were included in Group A and 36 patients (36 eyes) were included in Group B. There were no significant differences in primary or final success rates between Groups A and B (P = 0.618 and P = 1.000, respectively). The patients in Group A experienced quicker postoperative vision improvement (from the Week 1 follow-up) than the patients in Group B (from the Month 3 follow-up). The postoperative cataract surgery rate of Group A (7/31) was lower than that of Group B (13/26) (P = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: PPV with partial tamponade of air is effective in achieving a high anatomic success rate, quicker postoperative vision improvement, and lower rate of postoperative cataract surgery in RRD caused by superior retinal breaks.