How to Avoid Giant Retinal Tear Slippage: New Surgical Approach

Introduction: The retinal detachment (RD) by giant tear is a rare but serious clinical form. Apart from its therapeutic difficulty, during the fluid-air exchange, it poses a problem of retinal slippage which may be responsible for therapeutic failure or at best for retinal folds with serious anatomical and functional consequences. The purpose of this study is to shed light on the keys to the success of this technique. Material and methods: Retrospective study over 5 years from January 2014-December 2019 concerning 56 cases of retinal detachment by giant tear. All the patients were operated on by vitrectomy and laser endophotocoagulation of the tear edge and on 360°. The technique involved a first transient exchange of PFCL-air followed by a second exchange of silicone-air or gas-air depending on the case. Results: Intraoperatively, no cases of slipping, even in the cases of gas tamponade, have been observed. A primary retinal re-application of the RD was noticed in 87.5% of cases. The rate of retinal detachment recurrence was 12.5% (all had an advanced vitreoretinal proliferation). After recurrence surgery, the final reapplication rate was 100%. Conclusion: Mastering the PFCL-Air exchange during vitrectomy retinal detachments by giant tearing according to the technique described helps to prevent the slippage of the retina. The gas tamponade can be an alternative to silicone tamponade in some cases of giant tears selected with lower horns above the 4 – 8 meridians.