A modified approach to actively remove high viscosity silicone oil through 23-gauge cannula

• Published in: International journal of ophthalmology 2016-09, Vol.9 (9), p.1294-1298
• Main Authors: Song, Zong-Ming, Hu, Xu-Ting, Wang, Lei, Hu, Zhi-Xiang, Zhao, Pei-Quan, Chen, Ding
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Clinical Research
• ISSN: 2222-3959; 2227-4898
• DOI: 10.18240/ijo.2016.09.10

AIM：To report a simple approach to actively remove high viscosity silicone oil through a 23-gauge cannula via pars plana.METHODS：Forty-eight eyes of 48 patients underwent silicone oil（5700 centistokes） removal（SOR） were enrolled.A section of blood transfusion set was prepared to connect a standard 23-gauge cannula and vitrectomy machine.Silicone oil was removed with suction of500-mm Hg vacuum through the cannula.Main outcome measures were SOR duration,number of sutured sites,intraocular pressure（IOP）,best-corrected visual acuity（BCVA）,and complications.RESULTS：Silicone oil was successfully removed in all cases.The mean SOR time was 5.70±0.85 min.Nine eyes（18.75%） needed suture partial sclerotomies.No intraoperative complications were noted.Transient hypotony（≤8 mm Hg） was seen in 3 eyes（6.25%） on postoperative day 1,but all resolved within 1wk.Retinal reattachment was achieved in all cases and no other postoperative complications were noted during 3-month following-up.BCVA at the final visit improved or stabilized in all patients comparing to the preoperative level.CONCLUSION：Active removal of high viscosity silicone oil through a 23-gauge instrument cannula jointed with blood transfusion set is a practical and reliable technique when considering two sides of efficacy and safety.