Combined pars plana vitrectomy with phacoemulsification for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair

Purpose: To investigate the outcome after combined phaco-vitrectomy in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair. Patients and methods: In this retrospective study, we included all patients who underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for RRD between January 2013 and December 2017. The main outcome measure was the retinal re-detachment rate after combined phaco-vitrectomy. Results: Overall, 1017 eyes with RRD were included. All eyes received PPV, while in 516 eyes additional phacoemulsification was performed. A retinal re-detachment occurred in 103 patients (10.1%). No significant difference in the rate of re-detachment was found if additional phacoemulsification was performed ( p =0.641). Subgroup calculations showed a significant higher rate of re-detachment in patients with a PVR ( p =0.0003) and in patients where silicone oil was used as primary tamponade ( p =0.0001) as well as in macula off RRDs ( p =0.034). Conclusion: Additional phacoemulsification during vitrectomy for RRD is not associated with higher rate of retinal re-detachment. Keywords: retinal detachment, cataract, phacoemulsification, vitrectomy