Mixture of ether and silicone oil for the treatment of inferior complicated retinal detachment

PURPOSE. To report the efficacy and ocular tolerance of a new tamponade made with ether and silicone oil (HeavySil [HSIL]) for the treatment of retinal detachment (RD) complicated by inferior proliferative vitreous retinopathy (PVR). METHODS. Prospective noncomparative interventional study on 31 consecutive eyes that underwent pars plana vitrectomy and were treated with HSIL as an intraocular tamponade. All patients presented with at least one retinal break and grade B-C PVR located between 4 and 8 o'clock. The main end-point criteria were retinal reattachment after the removal of HSIL and complications arisen from the use of this tamponade. RESULTS. Primary anatomic success was achieved in 27 out of 31 cases. Mean visual acuity improved from logMAR 1.4 (SD 0.7) to logMAR 1.1 (SD 0.6) (p=0.02). The main complications reported were cataract formation (5 out of 7 phakic eyes cases), clinically visible emulsification (6 cases), and difficulty of oil removal in 3 cases. Severe intraocular inflammation with HSIL in situ was found in only one case. CONCLUSIONS. HeavySil, a saturated solution of ether with silicone oil, is a safe and effective tamponade agent for the treatment of complicated RD. The most common complications are cataract formation and oil emulsification.