Clinical comparison of 27-gauge and 23-gauge instruments on the outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy surgery for the treatment of vitreoretinal diseases

To evaluate the efficiency, preliminary safety, and feasibility of a 27-gauge instrument system for transconjunctival microincision vitrectomy surgery (MIVS) in a variety of vitreoretinal diseases.

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of 25-gauge instrumentation for a variety of vitreoretinal conditions on previously nonvitrectomized eyes. Single-center, retrospective, interventional case series. One-hundred forty eyes of 140 patients were evaluated at the Doheny Retina Institute from July 2002 to July 2003. All patients underwent surgical procedures using the Millennium 25-gauge Transconjunctival Standard Vitrectomy system. Twenty eyes (14.3%) underwent procedures without vitrectomy. Postoperative visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure, surgical time, postoperative inflammation, complications, and number of sutured sites. No intraoperative complications were noted. No cases required conversion to 20-gauge machines. Ten cases (7.1%) involved single-site sclerotomy suture placement due to bleb formation at the conclusion of the procedure, but 5 of these entry sites were enlarged to facilitate larger instrumentation for tissue manipulation. Median VA improved from 20/250 (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution, 1.08+/-0.47) preoperatively to 20/60 (0.47+/-0.30) (P<0.0001) at final visit. Mean follow-up was 33.8+/-9.7 weeks, and all eyes were observed for a minimum of 12 weeks. Mean total surgical time was 17.4+/-6.9 minutes. Intraocular pressures remained stable throughout the postoperative course. Five eyes (3.8%) presented on day 1 with shallow choroidal detachments, but all resolved by day 7, and none required volume infusion during the postoperative period. All but one of these cases was within the first 50 procedures performed. No detectable inflammation was noted in any eyes by 4 weeks postoperatively. No case of retinal detachment or endophthalmitis was recorded. Transconjunctival surgery using 25-gauge instrumentation may hasten postoperative recovery by decreasing overall surgical time and postoperative inflammation. Procedures requiring minimal intraocular manipulation did not require sutures and, thus, may be better suited for this surgical modality.

To describe the initial experience, effectiveness, and safety profile of 23-gauge instrumentation for a variety of vitreoretinal conditions. Single-center, retrospective, noncomparative, consecutive interventional case series. Seventy-seven eyes of consecutive patients who underwent 23-gauge transconjunctival vitrectomy surgery by a single surgeon at the Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital from October 2004 through October 2005. All patients underwent 3-port 23-gauge vitrectomy using Dutch Ophthalmic Research Corporation instrumentation and an Alcon Accuris Vitrector. Postoperative visual acuity at months 1 and 3, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and operative time. Mean acuity improved from 20/190 at baseline to 20/108 (P<0.0001) and 20/74 (P<0.0001) at months 1 and 3, respectively. By diagnosis, patients with epiretinal membrane (n = 20) improved from 20/124 to 20/93 (P = 0.0046), macular hole (n = 18) from 20/174 to 20/57 (P = 0.0007), rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RD) (n = 14) from 20/248 to 20/51 (P = 0.0004), tractional RD (n = 12) from 20/175 to 20/62 (P = 0.0159), nonclearing vitreous hemorrhage (n = 12) from 20/1345 to 20/189 (P = 0.0004), vitreomacular traction (n = 4) from 20/145 to 20/124 (P = 0.7525), and retained lens fragments (n = 4) from 20/308 to 20/140 (P = 0.0972). One patient who underwent diagnostic vitrectomy had stable 20/50 acuity. Two patients had hypotony on postoperative day 1, 1 patient required a sutured sclerotomy intraoperatively, and no patients developed choroidal effusions. No intraoperative tears were noted. Surgical times collected on 17 patients during the final month of the study demonstrated a mean opening time (range) of 103 seconds (70-162), mean closing time of 75 seconds (17-470), and net operating time of 24.1 minutes (7.1-74.6). Twenty-three-gauge instrumentation is effective for a variety of vitreoretinal surgical indications. The safety profile compared favorably with published rates for 25-gauge systems.