Monday 23 February 2009

Oil in AC

Here is someone who I treated for a GRT, pseudophake with an Acrysof len in, so no anticipated ant seg problems. Having sorted his retina out, proceeded to a direct PFCL to OIl exchange, everything went swimmingly, till right at the end - some oil made it's way through the zonules into the AC. You see a sign, the iris is suddenly not sitting on the IOL , but billowed forward!

Should I have done something more at that stage? Who knows, I decided to close up and posture patient face down - hoping to let the oil go back into the posterior chamber...

Did it work - Heck

5 days later patient has an iris plastered to the corneal endothelium, and running pressures over 50 inspite of maximal medication...


What should one do now?

Sunday 22 February 2009

Discuss your surgical techniques

Gentlemen and Ladies,

A lot of the meetings and journals we attend/read concenterate on 'new' treatments and techniques. Basic training in surgical technique is left to a 'apprenticeship' with one's trainer and osmosis from others together with evolution of technique through experience. I propose to discuss the basic surgical tecniques involved in various cases using video clips in this blog and invite others to do so. The format should be a video clip highlighting some problems/difficulties faced, and then to invite others to comment, or give on own views on how these could have been avaoided / better dealt with.

This should not only give those starting out in VR surgery a rich experience, but also cross- fertilise ideas amongst those of us who are more experienced.

I find that the best way of learning surgery, or improving one's technique is by watching your own surgical video. This is an extension of the same principle, by letting others watch your surgery here, you can benefit from others ideas about how to improve your surgery. If you prefer to stay anonymous - send your short write up and video clip to me and I will post it without any identifiable details

You can upload videos directly to the posts (they are hosted on Google Video). If you have any trouble, you can send the video to me, and I can upload it for you. The most practical way of sending across large video files is to use a service such as YouSendIt (free for files under 100 MB). If you are files are larger than this, use a program such as 'Windows Movie Maker' (free in Windows), to compress it for download.

If you still have queries about how to do this, please feel free to email me.

Let's give it a try and see how it pans out.

Best Wishes

Som

Thursday 19 February 2009

Does a Wiess ring signify a complete or near complete PVD?

Conventional teaching has been that the visualisation of a Wiess ring implied a PVD (complte or near complete), however surgically when you go into an eye with a well seen PVD, you can often even then, induce a PVD within the posterior pole. Does this mean that the presence of a Wiess ring, is not a predicator of a PVD?

In this patient a Wiess ring was present and is visible at the start of the vitrectomy as a 3/4 circle in mid vitreous. However stndard suction technique to lift the posterior hayloid face able to demonstrate formation of a PVD.

Does this mean that presence or absence of PVD pre-op indeed has no real influence on surgical planning? Or indeed presnce of Wiess ring is not an indicator of PVD, and hence the risk stratification for patients re retinal tears etc may need tobe rethought?

A Higher quality video should be availabale here - if I can figure out how to make it work!