EXPANSILE GAS KINETICS FOR PNEUMATIC RETINOPEXY

Purpose: To study the behavior of expansile intravitreal gases and air used in treating rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Methods: A validated mathematical model of gas expansion and absorption in human eyes was used to simulate the effect of varying volumes of pure air, SF 6 , C 2 F 6 , and C 3 F 8 injected into the vitreous cavity. Variation in axial length was accounted for by using three different vitreous cavity volumes to represent hypermetropic, emmetropic, and myopic eyes. Results: The time course of varying volumes of pure air and fluorinated gases injected into the vitreous cavity was tabulated, with calculated parameters including volume of gas, percentage gas fills, and corresponding retinal contact angles at different time points. Conclusion: We produced a comprehensive compilation of expansive gas kinetics aiming to facilitate surgeon selection of the most suitable choice of gas and volume to use, tailored to an individual patient's clinical need.