Vitrectomy for the management of recurrent retinal detachments

Repair of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment is successful in approximately 90% of cases. Assuming all retinal breaks are identified and closed, the most common reason for eventual failure of surgery is the development of proliferative vitreoretinopathy, accounting for the failure of 7% to 10% of primary repairs and an increased proportion of secondary procedures. Recurrent retinal detachment complicated by proliferative vitreoretinopathy is now most frequently treated by pars plana vitrectomy with intraoperative peeling of membranes. During the 1990s, a better understanding of the nature of recurrent retinal detachment due to proliferative vitreoretinopathy has grown concomitantly with more experience using various vitreoretinal techniques to manage these complicated cases. This article reviews the latest developments in vitreous surgery to repair recurrent retinal detachments due to proliferative vitreoretinopathy, focusing on the most recent reports in the literature.