STAINING-ASSISTED REMOVAL OF SILICONE OIL FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF SUBCLINICAL PROLIFERATIVE VITREORETINOPATHY.

PURPOSE: Retinal detachment is a frequent complication after removal of silicone oil (ROSO). A retrospective study was conducted to determine whether staining-assisted removal of silicone oil (st-ROSO) allowed better identification and removal of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) processes compared with a conventional removal of silicone oil technique.

METHODS: All individuals underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and silicone oil fill-in for complicated retinal detachments. In conventional removal of silicone oil (Group 1), no staining was used. In staining-assisted removal of silicone oil (Group 2), a mixture of trypan blue and brilliant blue G dyes was used to identify proliferative vitreoretinopathy and subclinical epiretinal membrane.

RESULTS: After the first 3-month follow-up, 15.9% of patients (N = 608) developed a retinal detachment. Retinal detachment occurred in 22.8% of patients in Group 1 (n = 284) and 9.8% of patients in Group 2 (n = 324; P < 0.001). In Group 2, proliferative vitreoretinopathy removal was performed in 153 eyes (47.2%).

CONCLUSION: The incidence of retinal redetachment was significantly lower after staining-assisted removal of silicone oil compared with a conventional technique. Staining-assisted removal of silicone oil allowed better identification and removal of proliferative vitreoretinopathy processes.