Clinical Evaluation of Choridal Detachment

Kim, Ji Young; Lee, Jae Heung

Abstract

We studied retrospectively 41 eyes of 38 patients who showed choroidal detachment during admission to Seoul National University Hospital. The male to female sex ratio was 29:9, and the total incidence of choroidal detachment was 0.5%, among the in-patients. The follow-up peroidswere two months to two years. The patients were classified into four groups according to the causes of the choroidal detachment: group 1 ; after anterior segment surgeries, group 2 ; after vitreoretinal surgeries, group 3 ; associated with retinal detachment, group 4 ; associated with perforating ocular injuries. The most common cause was anterior segment surgery(48.9%), especially, glaucoma surgery. In Molteno and ACTSEB implant surgery cases, the incidence of choroidal detachment was 20.0%. The spontaneous recovery rate in untreated group was 75.0%, except preoforating injuries, that was 90.0% and the mean recovery time was 19.6 days. In treated group, the recovery rate was 94.1%. The recovery rate was inversely proportional to extent of choroidal detachment, it being 93.3% in less-than-half choridal detachment group, 76.9% in annular choroidal detachment group. The mean intraocular pressure(IOP) of patients with choridal detachment was 8.7 mmHg, showing its association with hypotony, and the mean IOP of group 2(20.3 mmHg) being much higher than that of group 1(8.0 mmHg), or group 3(6.0 mmHg). The pathogenesis of choroidal detachments in group 2 patients might be transient inflammation or obstruction of the venous drainage, for they were treated with encircling and cryotherapy in all cases.