Subfoveal perfluorocarbon liquid (SFCL) extraction: a report of three cases

Purpose To analyze the outcomes after subfoveal perfluorocarbon liquid (SFCL) extraction. Methods Three eyes of three patients (all males and aged between 43 and 63 years old), with presence of subfoveal SFCL after retinal detachment (RD) with macular involvement surgery. After a variable period of time, which ranged from 1 to 12 months after vitreoretinal surgery, it was performed extraction of the SFCL by a retinotomy in the extrafoveal rim of the SFCL bubble and aspiration with a 38-gauge cannula in one patient and with a 29-gauge cannula in the other two. Full clinical ophthalmological examination, including determination of Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA), funduscopy and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)examination was performed in all patients prior and after surgery. Results BCVA prior surgery was 10/100 in the three patients. Funduscopy and OCT examination showed one SFCL bubble localizated under the fovea. Four months after surgery, it was achieved anatomic restoration, without rests of SFCL, but a severe defect in photoreceptors (PR) was appreciated by funduscopy and confirmed by OCT in all eyes. Visual acuity remained unchanged during the follow-up period, being of 10/100 in the three eyes. Conclusion Subfoveal SFCL extraction in patients with previous RD with macular involvement surgery may imply bad functional outcomes, probably due to a previous damage of pigment retinal epithelium and PR, aggravated by SFCL toxicity.