Vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous or tractional retinal detachment with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy.

Objective: To examine the anatomic features and surgical indications of familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) complicated with rhegmatogenous or tractional retinal detachment.
Design: Retrospective noncomparative case series.
Participants: Twenty-eight eyes of 25 patients who had either clinically suspected or fully diagnosed FEVR. Of these, 25 had rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, 2 had tractional retinal detachment, and 1 had tractional retinal detachment plus vitreous hemorrhage.
Interventions: The authors carefully observed the vitreoretinal interface during surgery, studied the clinical and anatomic features of FEVR, and then evaluated the surgical results.
Results: The vitreoretinal adhesions were so strong in the peripheral avascular area that iatrogenic retinal breaks easily occurred in 22 of 28 eyes. In all cases, the bimanual technique with vitreous scissors and forceps was required to dissect the posterior vitreous membrane from the retinal surface. The retina was reattached in 24 of 28 cases (85.7%), and visual acuity improved in 20 eyes (71.4%).
Conclusion: Dissection of the vitreous in the peripheral avascular area is very difficult in FEVR, and those patients for whom this procedure was not successfully performed may have a poorer prognosis.