Removal of subfoveal perfluorocarbon liquid: Report of 3 cases

Purpose to report removal of retained subfoveal perfluorocarbon liquid (pfcl) after vitrectomy for retinal detachment. methods three patients underwent 3-port 23-gauge vitrectomy in an attempt to remove retained subfoveal pfcl bubble secondary to retinal detachment surgery. in two patients,removal was achieved via a 23-g needle whereas the third patient with multiple small subfoveal droplets,multiple punctures were required and in that case a small 40-g needle was used. we assessed best corrected visual acuity (bcva),fundus imaging,and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (sd-oct) of all patients before and after surgery. results the subfoveal pfcl was successfully removed in all 3 eyes and although a functional improvement was documented,outer retinal atrophy and photoreceptor loss was observed in all our cases. conclusions sd-oct allows early recognition of retained subfoveal pfcl. surgical removal may lead to retinal morphologic restoration and functional improvement. while we achieved complete removal of pfcl with both 23-g and 40-g instrumentation,we believe the versatility and ease justifies the universal usage of 40-g retinotomy needles. © 2017 iranian society of ophthalmology