Surgical outcomes of 27-gauge and 25-gauge vitrectomy day surgery for proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

PURPOSE: To compare postoperative outcomes of 27-gauge (G) and 25-G vitrectomy conducted as day surgery for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).

METHODS: One hundred eighty-five consecutive PDR patients (185 eyes) who underwent primary vitrectomy (27-G in 64 eyes, 25-G in 121 eyes) were analyzed.

RESULTS: The 27-G and 25-G groups did not differ significantly in preoperative Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) score, age, or preoperative intraocular pressure. The proportions of simultaneous cataract surgery (27-G vs. 25-G: 59.4% vs. 62.4%) and air-filled eyes (76.6% vs. 85.1%) were not significantly different between two groups. Both groups showed significant improvement in ETDRS score at postoperative 1, 3, and 6 months (all, P < 0.0001). Mean gain in ETDRS score from baseline was apparently better in 27-G group than in 25-G group at 1, 3, and 6 months, but there were no significant differences (1 month: 20.3 vs. 13.1 letters, P = 0.0703; 3 months: 22.9 vs. 17.5 letters, P = 0.1561; 6 months: 24.3 vs. 19.3 letters, P = 0.3313). Operation time was apparently longer for 27-G vitrectomy, but there was no significant difference (54.0 vs. 51.1 min, P = 0.3676). The same was observed for postoperative intraocular pressure at postoperative day 1 (19.7 vs. 18.1 mmHg, P = 0.1353). Incidence of postoperative retinal detachment (1.6% vs. 0.8%) and reoperation due to vitreous hemorrhage (6.3% vs. 6.6%) was not different between two groups.

CONCLUSIONS: The 27G system is as safe and as useful as the 25G system when used for PDR and can be expected to achieve earlier recovery of postoperative visual acuity.