Endodiathermy assisted vitreous base and anterior hyaloid visualization during vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

Abstract

Purpose: To describe a novel technique to visualize vitreous base and the anterior hyaloid during vitrectomy for Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment (RRD). Methods: Retrospective, single-center study enrolling all patients who underwent vitrectomy for RRD between June 2015 and June 2018. After core vitrectomy and the necessary additional procedures, endodiathermy was activated near the edge of the peripheral vitreous. This created a heat-induced bubble stream and the bubbles were entangled in the vitreous base and anterior hyaloid. As a result, the vitreous base and anterior hyaloid were visualized and removed. Results: Between June 2015 and June 2018, a total of 210 cases of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment were treated with vitrectomy. Endodiathermy assisted vitreous base shaving and anterior hyaloid removal was used in those cases with a very low incidence of iatrogenic peripheral retinal breaks during vitreous base shaving (2%), and with no case of lens injury related to the technique. We achieved a final anatomical success of 95.2% in the study period after mean number of operations of 1.3 ± 0.2. Endodiathermy near the peripheral vitreous was not associated with any intraoperative or postoperative complications. Conclusion: Endodiathermy assisted vitreous base and anterior hyaloid visualization is a safe adjuvant method that could help in achieving complete and rapid vitreous base shaving and anterior hyaloid removal.