Objectives:

We aimed to evaluate results of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in the pediatric population in the traumatic eyes.

Methods:

The medical records of 57 eyes of 57 children, aged from 8 months to 16 years, with trauma and who underwent PPV were reviewed retrospectively. The type of trauma, posterior segment problems, vitrectomy techniques, and complications were noted. Reattachment of the retina was considered as anatomical success. Visual acuities of ≥0.1 and 0.02 were accepted as functional success and ambulatory vision, respectively.

Results:

Forty-three patients were male and 14 were female. The mean age was 8.6±4.3 years. Preoperative visions varied from light perception to 1.0. Type of traumas included: 8 patients blunt, 49 patients penetrating and 10 patients intraocular foreign bodies. Preoperatively, 27 patients suffered from endophthalmitis, 25 from retinal detachment and 32 from intraocular hemorrhage. Lensectomy was performed in 36 eyes, encircling band placement in 27 eyes, and retinotomy in 17 eyes. Silicone oil was injected as tamponade in 25 eyes and gas in 8 eyes. The mean followup was 8.6±8.1 months. Anatomical success was achieved in 37 (68.5%) eyes. Ambulatory vision was present in 23 (46.9%) eyes and functional success in 13 (26.5%) of those 49 eyes in which visual acuity testing could be done. Hypotony occurred in 21 eyes. There was a negative correlation between hypotony and preoperative intraocular pressure and a positive correlation between re-detachment and development of cyclitic membrane.

Conclusion:

The anatomical success was relatively high but functional success was lower following PPV in the pediatric population in traumatic posterior segment complications. Hypotony was the main complication.

Keywords: Childhood, pars plana vitrectomy, trauma