Purpose
To evaluate diathermy to minimize sclerotomy leakage during small-gauge vitrectomy and prevent ocular hypotony.
Methods
This observational prospective study included 327 patients (327 eyes) who underwent diathermy to close the sclerotomy sites during 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). All patients were operated by a single surgeon (ED) and evaluated at 30 and 60 days postoperatively. Patients with glaucoma, topical/systemic steroids use exceeding 30 days, ocular inflammation, or trauma were excluded. Chi-square, Kruskal–Wallis, Fisher Exact test, and multivariate statistical analyses were performed to evaluate potential risk factors. The primary outcomes were open sclerotomies, leakage, and ocular hypotony.
Results
Sclerotomies remained open in 12 (3.6%) and 2 (0.6%) patients, respectively, at 30 and 60 days postoperatively, revealing no case of ocular hypotony. Leakage only occurred in four patients (1.2%) during week 1 postoperatively. Multivariate analysis indicated that additional vitreoretinal surgeries and longer surgeries were risk factors for persistent sclerotomy opening.
Conclusion
Diathermy was safe and feasible to close sclerotomies. Vitreoretinal surgery reoperations and longer surgeries were the most significant (
P
<0.05) risk factors for persistent sclerotomy opening, which may be functionally closed without evidence of leakage or ocular hypotony.
Background: Paracentral acute middle maculopathy is defined as ischemia of the deep retinal layers. We report an unusual case of paracentral acute middle maculopathy associated with hypoperfusion of the cilioretinal artery and impending central retinal vein occlusion in a young male with no previous comorbidities. Case Report: The patient was a 22-year-old male complaining about a sudden loss of vision in his right eye upon awakening. Fundus examination showed optic disk edema, and increased tortuosity of the retinal veins and a few retinal hemorrhages. Swept-source optical coherence tomography found a hyperreflective band that was more pronounced at the level of the inner nuclear layer of the retina. These findings led us to a diagnosis of paracentral acute middle maculopathy associated with hypoperfusion of the cilioretinal artery. Conclusion: The finding of paracentral acute middle maculopathy on optical coherence tomography demands a proper investigation of its cause, because it has an intimate association with vascular diseases and is not an isolated entity. In our case, we could not identify the etiology of the unilateral event in this young male, although dehydration due to alcohol consumption and subsequent hypotension might have played a role in this ischemic event.
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