Does choroidal thickness predict persistent subretinal fluid after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair? A retrospective study with fellow eye comparison

Purpose: To evaluate whether choroidal thickness (CT) is associated with persis- tent subretinal fluid (pSRF) after simple primary rhegmatogenous retinal detach- ment (RRD) repair. Methods: This single-centre, retrospective, observational study included patients who underwent RRD repair with at least 12-month follow-up. Preoperative and postoperative parameters were evaluated for association with pSRF. CT measure- ments were obtained at the central 1mm area on enhanced depth imaging (EDI) OCT scans, using a semiautomatic method. Multiple logistic regression analyses were assessed to determine predictive factors for pSRF. Results: Overall, 100 eyes of 100 patients, mean age of 59.9 ±12.6years were in- cluded. pSRF was found in 21.0% of eyes and resolved over time in 85.7% of eyes at 12months. In the pSRF group both RRD and fellow eyes showed lower mean choroidal and RPE thickness values as compared to those without pSRF (p <0.05). A significant correlation was found between pSRF occurrence and choroidal thin- ning ( p = 0.02). After multiple regression analyses, macula-off RRD ( p = 0.005) and scleral buckling (SB) technique (p =0.001) were retained as final predictors for pSRF. In macula-off SB eyes, detachment duration was the only factor associ- ated with pSRF (p =0.046). There were no significant differences in best-corrected visual acuity outcomes between the pSRF and the no-pSRF eyes. Conclusions: Patients with pSRF showed lower choroidal and RPE thickness as compared to those without pSRF. CT did not turn out to be a final predictor for pSRF, as this was mainly associated with macular involvement, surgical technique and detachment duration.