Abstract:Abstract. A step-by-step description of a surgical technique for episcleral Miragel® buckle removal is reported. After dissection of the conjunctiva and the capsule surrounding the Miragel® element, the extremity of the buckle is pulled out with a cryoprobe. The removal of Miragel® episcleral buckle with the cryoprobe is a safe and effective technique with a low fragmentation rate and a reduction of the surgical risk related to the use of sharp forceps near a possibly weakened sclera. Procedure time seems also… Show more
“…Although they managed to remove the scleral buckle successfully in four patients using this technique, we found this challenging, and the patient in our case suffered late complications related to the remaining explant fragments. Several other techniques were proposed in the literature, including the pulling on the implant with a cryoprobe [ 18 ], floating the implant out of the capsule with balanced salt solution [ 19 ], consolidating the implant with boric acid to facilitate removal in one piece [ 20 ], or most recently, the modified suction-assisted removal technique [ 21 ]. It is uncertain whether which technique works best.…”
Background: MIRAgel® (MIRA, Waltham, MA, USA) is a hydrogel scleral buckle introduced in 1979 to treat rhegmatogenous retinal detachments. Its use was discontinued because late complications that require surgical removal were reported. Methods: Case report. Results: We report a case of left eye MIRAgel® buckle surgery 28 years ago presenting with a tender palpable erythematous swelling at the lower lid, with marked conjunctival chemosis and progressive ophthalmoplegia. Imaging revealed a large, well-defined, horseshoe-shaped lesion in the extraconal space of the left orbit with globe distortion, with histological confirmation of an expanded hydrogel buckle. He recovered well following removal of the explant but developed chronic macular oedema a year later, which persisted despite sub-Tenon’s triamcinolone injections. Repeat imaging demonstrated remaining hydrogel explant. Macular oedema settled well upon successful surgical removal with no recurrence to date. Conclusion: Our case is the first to describe macular oedema as a late MIRAgel-related complication, with complete removal of the explant being the definitive treatment. Macular oedema indicates postoperative inflammation secondary to the remaining explant fragments. Given the friability of hydrolysed MIRAgel®, we recommend ophthalmologists to warn patients regarding the possibility of further inflammation in the globe or the orbit in case of incomplete removal.
“…Although they managed to remove the scleral buckle successfully in four patients using this technique, we found this challenging, and the patient in our case suffered late complications related to the remaining explant fragments. Several other techniques were proposed in the literature, including the pulling on the implant with a cryoprobe [ 18 ], floating the implant out of the capsule with balanced salt solution [ 19 ], consolidating the implant with boric acid to facilitate removal in one piece [ 20 ], or most recently, the modified suction-assisted removal technique [ 21 ]. It is uncertain whether which technique works best.…”
Background: MIRAgel® (MIRA, Waltham, MA, USA) is a hydrogel scleral buckle introduced in 1979 to treat rhegmatogenous retinal detachments. Its use was discontinued because late complications that require surgical removal were reported. Methods: Case report. Results: We report a case of left eye MIRAgel® buckle surgery 28 years ago presenting with a tender palpable erythematous swelling at the lower lid, with marked conjunctival chemosis and progressive ophthalmoplegia. Imaging revealed a large, well-defined, horseshoe-shaped lesion in the extraconal space of the left orbit with globe distortion, with histological confirmation of an expanded hydrogel buckle. He recovered well following removal of the explant but developed chronic macular oedema a year later, which persisted despite sub-Tenon’s triamcinolone injections. Repeat imaging demonstrated remaining hydrogel explant. Macular oedema settled well upon successful surgical removal with no recurrence to date. Conclusion: Our case is the first to describe macular oedema as a late MIRAgel-related complication, with complete removal of the explant being the definitive treatment. Macular oedema indicates postoperative inflammation secondary to the remaining explant fragments. Given the friability of hydrolysed MIRAgel®, we recommend ophthalmologists to warn patients regarding the possibility of further inflammation in the globe or the orbit in case of incomplete removal.
“…However, residual fragments are often left behind with this approach, leading to repeated removal procedures. Several alternative techniques and devices have been proposed, for example, pulling on the implant with a cryoprobe 7 or a suction device 8 to assist in the pushing maneuvers, floating the implant out of the capsule with balanced salt solution, 9 or consolidating the implant with boric acid to facilitate removal in one piece. 10 We herein describe a modified suction-assisted removal technique that, in our opinion, is faster, safer, and easier to perform than previous methods.…”
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