Comparison of 27- and 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy for the treatment of canine rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

Objective: To compare the intraoperative and postoperative findings of 27-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with those of 25-gauge PPV for the treatment of canine rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD).

Methods: Dogs that underwent 27- or 25-gauge PPV for the treatment of RRD were included. The surgical procedure was divided into 4 sections (1, trocar placement; 2, vitrectomy and retinal reattachment; 3, silicone oil injection; and 4, scleral suturing). We compared intraoperative findings, anatomical and visual success rates, and postoperative complications between the 2 groups.

Results: 19 eyes (18 dogs) that underwent 27-gauge PPV and 20 eyes (19 dogs) that underwent 25-gauge PPV were included. Section 1 was significantly shorter with 27-gauge PPV than with 25-gauge PPV (4.1 ± 0.9 minutes vs 8.9 ± 2.0 minutes), but the overall surgical time was not significantly different. As for intraoperative findings, in section 2, 27-gauge PPV had significantly more incidents (5 eyes vs 0 eyes). The anatomical success rate was 100% in both groups, and the visual success rate was 78.9% for 27-gauge PPV and 85.0% for 25-gauge PPV, with no significant difference. There was no significant difference in the incidence of each postoperative complication between the 2 groups.

Conclusions: 27-gauge PPV was associated with shorter operative time in section 1 and more incidents in section 2 compared with 25-gauge PPV, but there were no significant differences in overall operative time or surgical outcomes.

Clinical relevance: 27-gauge PPV may be considered as a treatment option for canine RRD.