The effectiveness of air and gas-air tamponade in the surgical treatment of retinal detachment associated with inferior breaks

Relevance. Retinal detachment is a serious condition that requires urgent surgical intervention. However, the choice of material for filling the vitreous after retinal fixation remains questionable. There are not always clear criteria for choosing a specific packing agent, and often in controversial cases the decision often depends on the preferences of the surgeon. Purpose. To evaluate the effectiveness of air and gas-air tamponade of the vitreal cavity in the surgical treatment of retinal detachment with tears in the lower quadrants of the fundus. Material and methods. A study was conducted of 21 patients with primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, the cause of which was peripheral breaks in the lower quadrants. Patients are divided into 2 groups depending on the type of tamponade of the vitreal cavity. The first study group included 10 patients with bestcorrected visual acuity of 0.01–0.7 (± 0.04). The operation in this group was completed with tamponade with a gas-air mixture of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). Group 2 included 11 patients with maximum corrected visual acuity of 0.01–0.8 (± 0.07). Surgical treatment in patients in this group ended with tamponade of the vitreous cavity with sterile air. Results. In the early postoperative period, patients in the first group had reactive ocular hypertension, while intraocular pressure in the second group was within normal limits. After 6 months of observation, in both groups, according to B-scan data, the membranes were contiguous, and no relapses of retinal detachment were registered. Maximum corrected visual acuity was 0.5–1.0 (± 0.044) and 0.6–1.0 (± 0.046) in the first and second groups, respectively. Conclusion. Considering comparable anatomical and functional results, surgical treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with inferior breaks using air tamponade is the most preferred method. Keywords: rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, inferior hemisphere rupture, gas-air tamponade, sterile air tamponade