Intraocular pressure during pneumatic retinopexy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: A simplified method of monitoring intraocular pressure (IOP) during pneumatic retinopexy was devised and used clinically to decrease the risk of complications associated with unnecessary IOP elevation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Intraoperative IOP and IOP immediately after sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) injection were monitored during pneumatic retinopexy in 22 eyes with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Intraoperative lOP was measured with a sphygmomanometer connected to the side of a gas-filled syringe. RESULTS: Intraoperative IOP and IOP immediately after gas injection were 97.2 ± 28.5 (mean ± SD) and 46.5 ± 19.6 mm Hg, respectively. Two eyes temporarily lost light perception immediately after the gas injection. The intraoperative IOP and the IOP immediately after the gas injection were 130 and 80 mm Hg, respectively, in one eye, and 180 and 90 mm Hg, respectively, in the other. CONCLUSIONS: In general, to ensure effective and safe results of pneumatic retinopexy, the authors recommend that the gas be injected either to approximately 90 mm Hg of intraoperative IOP or to the maximum acceptable volume (2.0 to 2.5 ml of 100% SF₆).