Equivalent tamponade by room air as compared with SF6 after macular hole surgery

To evaluate the effect of tamponade by room air after vitrectomy for the treatment of idiopathic macular hole (MH). There were 156 eyes of 151 patients studied. The patients' ages ranged from 35 to 88 years old (mean: 65.1 years). After conventional pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling, fluid air exchange was performed using 20% SF6 (Gas group: 91 eyes) or room air (Air group: 65 eyes). Surgical outcomes were retrospectively analyzed. Mean preoperative hole diameter was 352 mu m in the Gas group and 370 mu m in the Air group (P = 0.558). The closure rate of all cases was 91.0% after first surgery and 98.7% at last follow-up. The primary closure rate was 90.1% in the Gas group after 7.44 +/- 1.66 (mean +/- SD) days prone positioning period, and 92.3% in the Air group after 3.83 +/- 0.97 days of prone positioning. There was significant difference in prone positioning period (P < 0.0001), but not in the first closure rate (P = 0.132). This study suggests that room air may have an equivalent tamponade effect, in spite of the shorter prone positioning period, than SF6 after MH surgery.