This systematic review and meta-analysis examined surgical treatments for retinal detachment in patients with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy. The team looked at data from 682 eyes across 19 different studies, including case series and cohort studies. They focused on how often the retina stayed attached and how vision changed after surgery.
The results showed that scleral buckling achieved a primary reattachment rate of 90 percent, while pars plana vitrectomy showed a rate of 71 percent. Overall, the pooled reattachment rate was 77 percent. Vision generally improved after surgery, though the data on this outcome varied widely between studies.
Surgery success depended heavily on the stage of the disease. Scleral buckling may be preferred for simpler cases, while pars plana vitrectomy is often needed for more advanced conditions. Complication and reoperation rates were also recorded, with a pooled reoperation rate of 24 percent. Because the studies were observational, these findings show associations rather than proving that one specific surgery causes better results in all situations.
