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  • Return to the OR After Vitrectomy for Vitreous Opacities

    By Jean Shaw
    Selected By: Andrew P. Schachat, MD
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    Journal Highlights

    Ophthalmology Retina, January 2021

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    In an analysis of data from the IRIS (Intelligent Research in Sight) Registry, Rubino et al. investigated the rate of return to the operating room following vitrectomy surgery for vitreous opaci­ties. They found a 3.7% rate of return for ophthalmic procedures other than cataract surgery—and of these, most were for retinal detachment repair.

    For this retrospective study, the researchers identified 50,836 eyes that underwent vitrectomy surgery for vitreous opacities from 2013 to 2017. After they adjusted for and eliminated eyes that also had other surgical retinal disease codes linked to the same surgery, the dataset comprised 17,615 eyes that had only a vitreous opacity code alongside the initial vitrectomy. (Rele­vant codes from both ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM were used.)

    Of these 17,615 eyes, 2,830 (16.1%) returned within one year for an addi­tional surgical procedure, with 2,187 (12.4%) returning for cataract surgery and 643 (3.7%) returning for another procedure. In 457 eyes (2.6%), this additional procedure involved repair of a retinal detachment; other noncataract procedures included vitrectomy with panretinal or focal laser and vitrectomy for macular hole repair.

    While these rates of reoperation are in line with results from other studies, the authors cautioned that the risks and possibilities of additional surger­ies should be carefully considered and discussed with patients. (Also see related commentary by Jerry Sebag, MD, in the same issue.)

    The original article can be found here.