Effect of Intravitreal Gas Tamponade for Sutureless Vitrectomy Wounds: Three-dimensional Corneal and Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography Study

Purpose: To investigate the effect of gas tamponade on wound closure and postoperative hypotony by comparing fluid-filled and gas-filled eyes after 25-gauge sutureless vitrectomy using three-dimensional corneal and anterior segment optical coherence tomography.

Methods: Twenty-four eyes of 24 patients who underwent a 25-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy were included in this prospective study. A total of 72 scleral wounds were observed using three-dimensional corneal and anterior segment optical coherence tomography at 3 hours and at 1, 3, 7, and 14 days postoperatively. Scleral wound closure was defined as the absence of a scleral gap at the sclerotomy site, as observed using three-dimensional corneal and anterior segment optical coherence tomography. The rate of wound closure, intraocular pressure, and the incidence of complications were compared between the fluid- and gas-filled eyes.

Results: The rates of scleral wound closure at 3 hours and at 1, 3, 7, and 14 days were 26.2%, 28.6%, 35.7%, 52.4%, and 85.7% in fluid-filled eyes and 53.3%, 73.3%, 76.7%, 83.3%, and 93.3% in gas-filled eyes; these rates were significantly higher for the gas-filled eyes. The intraocular pressure was significantly higher in the gas-filled eyes than in the fluid-filled eyes on postoperative Day 1 but did not differ significantly between the 2 groups on postoperative Day 3 and thereafter.

Conclusion: Three-dimensional corneal and anterior segment optical coherence tomography provided clear images of 25-gauge sutureless vitrectomy wounds and revealed that the sclerotomies closed faster in gas-filled eyes than in fluid-filled eyes. Thus, gas tamponade might be effective for the closure of sutureless vitrectomy wounds.