Surgical outcomes and complications of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in eyes with chorioretinal coloboma

Purpose: To study the outcomes of management of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in eyes with chorioretinal colobomas. Methods: A retrospective review of 119 patients (119 eyes) with chorioretinal colobomas who underwent surgical repair for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment was performed. Data were collected on the site of the retinal break, type of surgery, anatomical success, and complications. Results: The most common location of the primary retinal break was the intercalary membrane in 58.8% of eyes. The most common surgical intervention was vitrectomy with endolaser and silicone oil tamponade (77.3% of eyes). Final anatomical success was achieved in 87.4% of eyes. Anatomical success was significantly higher in eyes that received long-acting tamponade (P = 0.006). Cryotherapy was significantly associated with failure of primary vitrectomy (P = 0.028). Placement of an encircling band did not affect anatomical outcomes (P = 0.75). Most of the eyes (60%) with recurrent retinal detachment after primary vitrectomy had a primary break within the normal retina. Conclusion: The optimal option for managing retinal detachment in eyes with chorioretinal colobomas is pars plana vitrectomy with long-acting tamponade (silicone oil or octafluoropropane) and retinopexy to the edge of the coloboma and the primary breaks. Cryotherapy is associated with poor anatomical outcomes. An encircling band does not seem to affect the final anatomical outcome.