gms | German Medical Science

23rd Annual Meeting of the German Retina Society

German Retina Society

24.09. - 25.09.2010, Freiburg

One Stitch Subconjunctival Suture – a new Suture Technique for Transconjunctival Vitrectomy

Meeting Abstract

  • Martin A. Leitritz - University Eye Clinic Tübingen
  • M.S. Spitzer - University Eye Clinic Tübingen
  • K.U. Bartz-Schmidt - University Eye Clinic Tübingen

German Retina Society. 23rd Annual Conference of the German Retina Society. Freiburg i. Br., 24.-25.09.2010. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2010. Doc10rg61

doi: 10.3205/10rg61, urn:nbn:de:0183-10rg614

This is the English version of the article.
The German version can be found at: http://www.egms.de/de/meetings/rg2010/10rg61.shtml

Published: September 21, 2010

© 2010 Leitritz et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.


Outline

Text

Background: After complex transconjunctival vitrectomy sclerotomies often may leak. Frequently, a suture is required in order to avoid hypotony, haemorrhage or even endophthalmitis. Most surgeons use a single transconjunctival stitch under these circumstances. However, this traditional suturing technique may provide an entry port for intraocular infections. Moreover, the knot may cause considerable ocular irritation.

Methods: With the presented one stitch subconjunctival suture technique sclerotomies after transconjunctival vitrectomy can be closed with the suture and the knot completely covered by conjunctiva.

Results: Compared to traditional transconjunctival closure patients experience less ocular irritation when the subconjunctival one stitch technique is employed. The high patient comfort that is associated with small port transconjunctival vitrectomy can be maintained with subconjunctival one stitch suturing technique. Apart from that, the risk for endophthalmitis may be lowered.

Conclusions: The subconjunctival one stitch technique is a facility for further improvement of transconjunctival vitrectomy.