Efficacy and safety of heavy silicone oil Densiron 68® in the treatment of complicated retinal detachment with large inferior retinectomy

Purpose To assess the efficacy and safety of a heavy silicone oil (Densiron 68(R)), a mixture of perfluorohexyloctane (F6H8) with silicone oil as temporary internal tamponade in selected retinal detachments treated with large inferior retinectomy. Methods Complicated retinal detachments with severe posterior and anterior proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) were included in this study. In all cases, a large inferior retinectomy involving the inferior quadrants was performed. Densiron 68(R) was injected at the end of surgery after perfluorocarbon injection. A minimum follow-up of 6 months was required in order to be included in this retrospective study. Results Twenty-seven patients were operated on with a mean follow-up of 57.5 weeks. Twenty-three patients presented a posterior PVR > CP6 and 26 patients an anterior PVR > CA5. Heavy silicone oil was removed in 19 patients after a mean follow-up of 14 weeks. At the 4-week follow-up visit, only one retinectomy was reopened by a recurrent inferior retinal detachment with PVR CP3. Finally, anatomical success was achieved in 25 of the 27 patients (92.5%) after Densiron 68(R) removal at the last follow-up. The main adverse effect was inflammatory reaction with fibrin accumulation in the anterior chamber (40.7%). Conclusions Densiron 68(R) appeared to be an efficient endotamponade agent in selected retinal detachments treated with large inferior retinectomy. It avoids fluid accumulation under the inferior retina and seems to limit the rate of inferior retinectomy reopening.