Scleral changes induced by diathermy in retinal detachment.

Abstract

The major phase of contemporary surgical treatment of retinal detachment is the application of diathermy to produce focal areas of heat injury at selected sites in the eye. The surgeon hopes that the proliferation which occurs in the reparative phase of reaction to the injury will lead to the development of chorioretinal adhesions. The procedure is an exacting one, which too often fails because the inflicted injury is inadequate, misplaced, or excessive. In the last instance anatomical reattachment of the retina may take place but function is impaired or lost as a result of immediate heat injury or its complications and sequelae. To improve techniques, more controllable methods of administering diathermy and a better understanding of the reactions of the various ocular tissues to heat are needed. Many clinical impressions have been reported, but relatively fewer data on these two fundamental aspects of the surgical treatment of retinal detachment have