Pediatric silicone oil surgery.

PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical characteristics, surgical aspects, and visual outcomes of pediatric patients who underwent pars plana vitrectomy and silicone oil injection for complicated retinal detachment.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

The records of 24 patients (25 eyes) younger than 18 years were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent pars plana vitrectomy and silicone oil injection for complicated retinal detachment between January 1995 and June 2004 in the Ophthalmology Department of Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey. All patients had follow-up at or beyond 6 months.

RESULTS

Nineteen (79.2%) boys and 5 (20.8%) girls were included. Mean age was 12.6 years (standard deviation, +/- 3.5; range, 5 to 17). Five eyes (20%) had blunt ocular trauma. Eleven eyes (44%) had penetrating trauma. Three eyes (12%) had high myopia. Four eyes (16%) had congenital cataract surgery. One eye (4%) had redetachment 1 month after vitreoretinal surgery performed at another clinic. One case had bilateral proliferative vitreoretinopathy with an undefined cause. The retina remained attached in 18 (72%) of 25 eyes at the final examination (17 were totally attached; 1 was partially attached). Mean follow-up was 23.4 months (standard deviation, +/- 20.5; range, 6 to 108). Postoperative visual acuity improved to 1/10 or better only in 6 eyes (24%) at the last examination.

CONCLUSION

In pediatric patients with complicated retinal detachment, silicone oil injection for intraocular tamponade is an option for treatment, but visual outcome is poorer than for adults.