Abstract
Silicone oil injection in conjunction with pars plana vitrectomy was carried out by five surgeons in 415 consecutive patients using the same surgical equipment, the same surgical techniques and the same highly purified silicone oil (viscosity, 5000 mPa·s). Indications for silicone oil injection after vitrectomy included advanced stages of proliferative vitreoretinopathy following rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (49%), severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy (38%), and proliferative vitreoretinopathy following retinal detachment due to ocular trauma (13%). Postoperative complications were noted in a 6- to 30-month follow-up period. Cataractous changes of varying degree were seen in all phakic eyes. Silicone oil entered the anterior chamber in 6% of all phakic and pseudophakic eyes. Subretinal silicone oil was noted in 4%. Other complications associated with the use of intravitreal silicone oil included biomicroscopically visible silicone oil emulsification (0.7%), keratopathy (5.5%), glaucoma (6%), closure of the inferior iridectomy (6%), and reproliferation of epiretinal and subretinal fibrous membranes (40%). We anticipate that the physicochemical characteristics of the highly purified silicone oil (viscosity, 5000 mPa·s) and the routine performance of an inferior iridectomy in all aphakic eyes had a positive impact on the low incidence of silicone-oil-related complications such as emulsification, keratopathy and secondary glaucoma.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Ando F (1985) Intraocular hypertension resulting from pupillary block by silicone oil. Am J Ophthalmol 99:87–88
Beekhuis W-H, Ando F, Zivojnovic R, Mertens OAE, Peperkamp E (1987) Basal iridectomy at 6 o’clock in the aphakic eye treated with silicone oil: prevention of keratopathy and secondary glaucoma. Br J Ophthalmol 71:197–200
Bornfeld N, El-Hifnawi E, Laqua H (1987) Ultrastructural characteristics of preretinal membranes from human eyes filled with silicone oil. Am J Ophthalmol 103:770–775
Bourgeois JE, Machemer R (1983) The results of sulfur hexafluoride gas in vitreous surgery. Am J Ophthalmol 96:405–406
Casswell AG, Gregor ZJ (1987) Silicone oil removal: I. The effect on the complications of silicone oil. Br J Ophthalmol 71:893–897
Chan C, Okun E (1986) The question of ocular tolerance to intravitreal liquid silicone. Ophthalmology 93:651–660
Cibis PA, Becker B, Okun E (1962) The use of liquid silicone in retinal detachment surgery. Arch Ophthalmol 68:590–599
De Corral LR, Cohen SB, Peyman GA (1987) Effect of intravitreal silicone oil on intraocular pressure. Ophthalmic Surg 18:446–449
Dimopoulos S, Heimann K (1986) Spätkomplikationen nach Silikonölinjektion. Langzeitbeobachtungen an 100 Fällen. Klin Monatsbl Augenheilkd 189:223–227
Failer J, Faulborn J, Erb P (1984) Die Phagozytose von Silikon-Ölen unterschiedlicher Viskosität durch Peritoneal-Makrophagen der Maus. Klin Monatsbl Augenheilkd 184:450–452
Federman JL, Schubert HD (1988) Complications associated with the use of silicone oil in 150 eyes after retina-vitreous surgery. Ophthalmology 95:871–876
Gabel V-P, Kampik A, Burkhardt J (1987) Analysis of intraoculary applied silicone oils of various origins. Graefe’s Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 225:160–162
Glaser B (1988) Silicone oil for proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Does it help or hinder? Arch Ophthalmol 106:323–324
Gonvers M (1985) Temporary silicone oil tamponade in the management of retinal detachment with proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Am J Ophthalmol 100:239–245
Heimann K, Dimopoulos S (1984) Intra- und postoperative Komplikationen bei Silikonölinjektion zur Behandlung komplizierter Netzhautablösungen. Klin Monatsbl Augenheilkd 185:371–372
Kampik A, Gabel V-P, Spiegel D (1984) Intraokulare Tamponade mit hochviskösem Silikonöl bei massiver proliferativer Vitreo-Retinopathie. Klin Monatsbl Augenheilk 185:368–370
Kroll P, Hennekes R, Berg P (1985) Linsentrübungen nach intravitrealer Silikoninjektion. Fortschr Ophthalmol 82:235–236
Kroll P, Berg P, Biermeyer H (1988) Langzeitergebnisse nach vitreoretinaler Silikonölchirurgie. Fortschr Ophthalmol 85:259–262
Lambrou FH, Burke JM, Aaberg TM (1987) Effect of silicone oil on experimental traction retinal detachment. Arch Ophthalmol 105:1269–1272
Leaver PK, Grey RH, Garner A (1979) Silicone oil injection in the treatment of massive preretinal retraction: II. Late complications in 93 eyes. Br J Ophthalmol 63:361–367
Lemmen K-D, Dimopoulos S, Kirchhof B, Heimann K (1987) Keratopathy following pars plana vitrectomy with silicone oil filling. Dev Ophthalmol 13:88–98
Lewis H, Burke JM, Abrams GW, Aaberg TM (1988) Perisilicone proliferation after vitrectomy for proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Ophthalmology 95:583–591
Lincoff H, Coleman J, Kreissig I, Richard G, Chang S, Wilcox LM (1983) The perfluorocarbon gases in the treatment of retinal detachment. Ophthalmology 90:546–551
Lucke KH, Foerster MH, Laqua H (1987) Long-term results of vitrectomy and silicone oil in 500 cases of complicated retinal detachments. Am J Ophthalmol 104:624–633
Lucke K, Foerster M, Laqua H (1987) Langzeiterfahrungen mit intraokularer Silikonöl-Füllung. Fortschr Ophthalmol 84:96–98
Lund OE (1967) Silikon als Glaskörperersatz. Ber Dtsch Ophthalmol Ges 68:166–169
McCuen BW, Juan E de, Landers MB (1985) Silicone oil in vitreoretinal surgery: 2. Results and complications. Ophthalmology 93:646–650
Refojo M, Leong F-L, Chung H, Ueno N, Nemiroff B, Tolentino F (1988) Extraction of retinol and cholesterin by intraocular silicone oils. Ophthalmology 95:614–618
Roussat B, Ruellan YM (1984) Traitement du décollement de rétine par vitrectomie et injection d’huile de silicone. J Fr Ophthalmol 7:11–18
Scott JD (1977) A rationale for the use of liquid silicone. Trans Ophthalmol Soc UK 97:235–237
Sell Ch, McCuen BW, Landers MB, Machemer R (1987) Long-term results of successful vitrectomy with silicone oil for advanced proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Am J Ophthalmol 103:24–28
Stilma JS, Koster R, Zivojnovic R (1986) Radical vitrectomy and silicone oil injection in the treatment of proliferative vitreoretinopathy following retinal detachment. Doc Ophthalmol 64:109–116
The Retina Society Terminology Commitee (1983) The classification of retinal detachment with proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Ophthalmology 90:121–125
The Silicone Study Group (1985) Proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Am J Ophthalmol 99:593–595
Yeo JH, Glaser BM, Michels RG (1987) Silicone oil in the treatment of complicated retinal detachments. Ophthalmology 94:1109–1113
Zborowski-Gutman L, Treister G, Naveh N, Chen V, Blumenthal M (1987) Acute glaucoma following vitrectomy and silicone oil injection. Br J Ophthalmol 71:903–906
Zivojnovic R (1987) Silicone oil in vitreoretinal surgery. Junk, Dordrecht Boston Lancaster
Zivojnovic R, Mertens DAE, Peperkamp E (1982) Das flüssige Silicon in der Amotiochirurgie: II. Bericht über 280 Fälle — weitere Entwicklung der Technik. Klin Monatsbl Augenheilkd 181:444–452
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Riedel, K.G., Gabel, VP., Neubauer, L. et al. Intravitreal silicone oil injection: complications and treatment of 415 consecutive patients. Graefe’s Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 228, 19–23 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02764284
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02764284