Silicone oil has been used in vitreoretinal surgery as a vitreous substitute in complicated cases of retinal detachment. Due to the complications that can arise when silicone oil remains inside the eyeball, it must be removed within a variable period of time, starting two months after its introduction. Its removal requires a vitrectomy device, which adds to the complexity of the surgery, and can be a slow procedure, depending on the concentration of the oil¹. Here, we propose a means of removing silicone oil quickly, using a manual device.

Using a 10-ml syringe attached to a 3-way tap, we aspirate air by creating a vacuum inside the syringe, which is maintained using the plunger of an insulin syringe. This plunger is placed between the shafts of the 10-ml syringe and is attached to the syringe using micropore tape, to keep the air inside the syringe. A lower temporal 23 g trocar is inserted for infusion, and another upper temporal one, to which the tip of the 3-way tap is attached. The 3-way tap is opened for passive aspiration of the silicone oil. Low-viscous oil can be removed in a few minutes, while more viscous oil takes about 5 minutes.

REFERENCES

1. Tsui I, Reddy S, Hubschman JP. An Elementary and Effective Method for Silicone oil Removal. Retina. 2010;30(3):524-6.

AUTHOR’S INFORMATION

» Eduardo Morizot
http://lattes.cnpq.br/9803300804939691
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0826-525X

» Carlos Alfredo Quiza Escobar
https://lattes.cnpq.br/5327424630297675
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6749-5817

Received on: April 11, 2023.
Accepted on: May 25, 2023.