The removal of scleral buckles
G. F. Hilton and R. H. Wallyn
Six hundred consecutive retinal detachments were operated on with silicone
scleral buckles. Twenty-three implants, or 3.8%, were removed. There was
one solid silicone implant and 22 silicone sponges. Removal was required
because of infection (seven eyes), foreign-body sensation without infection
(seven eyes), recurrent subconjunctival hemorrhages (four eyes),
impingement on the optic nerve (one eye), and distortion of the macula
(four eyes). The postoperative infection rate was 1.8% for silicone
sponges, and there were no infections in eyes buckled with solid silicone.
Only one retina redetached after buckle removal, yielding a recurrence rate
of 4%. The one recurrence was successfully managed by a second scleral
buckle.
