Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transscleral diode laser for retinopexy in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment surgery in a multicenter trial.
Design: 67 patients with primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment underwent scleral buckling surgery, using transscleral diode laser for retinopexy, at five study centers.
Study participants: 72 patients with primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachments were enrolled. No patient with chronic detachment, a retinal break greater than 90 degrees, history of uveitis or infectious retinopathy, or proliferative vitreoretinopathy was enrolled. Five eyes were excluded because they required additional nonprotocol treatment at the time of surgery (vitrectomy or supplementary cryotherapy due to probe malfunction).
Main outcome measures: Retinal reattachment at six months after one operation. Secondary measures: visual acuity and complications, including choroidal, retinal, and vitreous hemorrhage, inflammation, and scleral damage.
Results: Six months or greater follow-up information was available on 65 eyes. Retinas were attached at 6 months with a single operation in 58 (89%) of these eyes. Complications included apparent pinpoint breaks in Bruch is membrane in 15 eyes, scleral thermal effect in 14 eyes, and limited hemorrhage, which was intraretinal in 10 eyes, and extended into the vitreous in 3 eyes. In one case, hemorrhage was judged to have contributed possibly to initial surgical failure. The other complications had no known adverse effects. Complications were significantly associated with the physicians experience with transscleral laser retinopexy.
Conclusion: In this multicenter series, transscleral diode laser retinopexy served as a safe and effective means of creating chorioretinal adhesion during retinal reattachment surgery. Minor complications were minimized by increasing experience with the technique.