BACKGROUND
The precise pre-operative measurements of axial length (AL) are essential for calculating intraocular lens power in cases undertaking pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) combined with cataract surgery. The changes in AL after PPV for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) combined with choroidal detachment (CD) has not been reported. Here, we studied the postoperative AL changes in patients with RRD combined with CD (RRD-CD) and compared the changes in patients with RRD and tractional retinal detachment (TRD).
METHODS
In this retrospective cohort study, medical records of 129 patients who received PPV combined with silicone oil tamponade from January 2015 to December 2018 were reviewed. Patients included were divided into three groups, RRD-CD, RRD, and TRD. All patients had received AL measurements before PPV and before silicone oil removal (SOR). The changes in AL of three groups before PPV and before SOR were compared. The potential factors related to AL changes were analyzed.
RESULTS
The number of patients included in RRD-CD, RRD, TRD groups were 41, 43, and 45, respectively. In RRD-CD group, AL measured before SOR was longer than that measured before PPV with a median of 1.01 [0.37,1.79] mm (p = 0.02). There was no such significant difference in RRD group (0.15 [0.04, 0.42] mm, p = 0.58) or TRD group (0.07[-0.03,0.15] mm, p = 0.53). The amplitude of AL changes in RRD-CD group was greater than that in RRD group (p < 0.001) and that in TRD group (p < 0.001). AL increased 0.06 mm (0.06, R2 = 0.11, p = 0.03) in RRD-CD group and 0.02 mm (0.02, R2 = 0.11, p = 0.01) in RRD group when the IOP before SOR was 1 mmHg higher than that before PPV. After adjusting the effect of the factors as the presence of pathological myopia (p = 0.45), IOP before PPV (p = 0.86), sustained elevation of IOP in post-PPV follow up (p = 0.51), AL in RRD-CD group was 11.42 times (3.54, 46.80) more likely to increase for more than 1 mm compared to that in RRD group (p < 0.001, AIC = 86.15).
CONCLUSION
Patients with RRD-CD are very likely to have postoperative elongation of AL. The primary IOL implantation using pre-operative AL data may cause significant refractive error in combined surgery in patients with RRD-CD.