Expandable silicone implants for scleral buckling. III. Experiments in vivo

F. Huamonte, M. F. Refojo and A. Banuelos

Experimental scleral buckling was obtained in rabbits by using expanded silicone rubber implants under scleral trap doors. Buckle heights ranged from 2.3 to 4mm after injection of 0.05 to 0.15 ml of fluid into the implants. Therate of decrease in buckle height followed up opthalmoscopically for five months, was found to be slow and continous and was caused mainly by loosening by the scleral flaps rather than by the diffusion of fluid from the implants. Implants expanded with chorampenicol solutions provided sustained release of the antibiotic in the area of the operation. This was confirmed in agar plantes by inhibition of the growth of Sarcina lutea around subimplant tissues and the expanded implants that were recovered post mortem. These implants provided an opportunity of modify the buckle height easily, either during the procedure or postoperatively.