A structured exercise to relieve musculoskeletal pain caused by face-down posture after retinal surgery: a randomized controlled trial

Face-down positioning or posturing after pars plana vitrectomy for macula-involving rhegmatogenous retinal detachments

BACKGROUND

A macula-involving rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is one of the most common ophthalmic surgical emergencies and causes significant visual morbidity. Pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with gas tamponade is often performed to repair primary macula-involving RRDs with a high rate of anatomical retinal reattachment. It has been advocated by some ophthalmologists that face-down positioning after PPV and gas tamponade helps reduce postoperative retinal displacement. Retinal displacement can cause metamorphopsia and binocular diplopia.

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of this review is to determine whether face-down positioning reduces the risk of retinal displacement following PPV and gas tamponade for primary macula-involving RRDs.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Trials Register) (2022, Issue 11), MEDLINE (January 1946 to 28 November 2022), Embase.com (January 1947 to 28 November 2022), PubMed (1948 to 28 November 2022), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature database (1982 to 28 November 2022), ClinicalTrials.gov, and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. We did not use any date or language restrictions in the electronic search. We last searched the electronic databases on 28 November 2022.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which face-down positioning was compared with no positioning or another form of positioning following PPV and gas tamponade for primary macula-involving RRDs.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We used standard Cochrane methodology and assessed the certainty of the body of evidence for the prespecified outcomes using the GRADE approach.

MAIN RESULTS

We identified three RCTs (369 eyes of 368 participants) that met the eligibility criteria. Two RCTs provided data on postoperative retinal displacement, one reported on postoperative distortion and quality of life outcomes, two on postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in logMAR, and two on postoperative ocular adverse events such as outer retinal folds. Study characteristics and risk of bias All the trials involved predominantly male participants (range: 68% to 72%). Only one trial provided race and ethnicity information, was registered on a trial registry, and reported funding sources. Using the RoB 2 tool, we assessed the risk of bias for proportion of eyes with retinal displacement, mean change in visual acuity, objective distortion scores, quality of life assessments, and ocular adverse events, with most domains judged to be at low risk of bias. Findings Immediate face-down positioning may result in a lower proportion of participants with postoperative retinal displacement compared with support-the-break positioning at six months (risk ratio [RR] 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.54 to 0.99; 1 RCT; 239 eyes of 239 participants; very low certainty evidence). One study found no evidence of a difference in BCVA at three months when comparing postoperative face-up with face-down positioning with or without perfluorocarbon liquid (mean difference [MD] -0.03, 95% CI -0.09 to 0.02; I2 = 0; 56 eyes of 56 participants; very low certainty evidence). Immediate face-down positioning appears to have little to no effect on postoperative distortion scores at week 26 (MD 1.80, 95% CI -1.92 to 5.52; 1 RCT; 219 eyes of 219 participants; very low certainty evidence) and postoperative quality of life assessment scores at week 26 (MD -1.80, 95% CI -5.52 to 1.92; 1 RCT; 217 eyes of 217 participants; very low certainty evidence). Adverse events One study that enrolled 262 participants with macula-involving RRDs suggested that immediate face-down positioning after PPV and gas tamponade may reduce the ocular adverse event of postoperative outer retinal folds at six months (RR 0.39, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.90; 1 RCT; 262 eyes of 262 participants; very low certainty evidence) and binocular diplopia (RR 0.20, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.90; 1 RCT; 262 eyes of 262 participants; very low certainty evidence) compared with support-the-break positioning. Immediate face-down positioning may increase the ocular adverse event of elevated intraocular pressure compared with support-the-break positioning (RR 1.74, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.73; 1 RCT; 262 eyes of 262 participants; very low certainty evidence). Another study found no evidence of a difference in postoperative outer retinal folds when comparing face-down versus face-up positioning at one and three months (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.50 to 2.02; RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.28 to 3.61; 1 RCT; 56 eyes of 56 participants; very low certainty evidence). No studies reported non-ocular adverse events.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Very low certainty evidence suggests that immediate face-down positioning after PPV and gas tamponade may result in a reduction in postoperative retinal displacement, outer retinal folds, and binocular diplopia, but may increase the chance of postoperative raised intraocular pressure compared with support-the-break positioning at six months. We identified two ongoing trials that compare face-down positioning with face-up positioning following PPV and gas tamponade in participants with primary macula-involving RRDs, whose results may provide relevant evidence for our stated objectives. Future trials should be rigorously designed, and investigators should analyze outcome data appropriately and report adequate information to provide evidence of high certainty. Quality of life and patient preferences should be examined in addition to clinical and adverse event outcomes.

Quantifying Head Position Following Vitrectomy Using a 3-Dimensional Position Sensor Embedded in a Novel Ophthalmic Shield: A Pilot Study

PURPOSE

To assess head position following pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) using a novel low-energy, non-intrusive 3-D position sensor platform.

METHODS

In this prospective non-randomized interventional case series, a low-energy Bluetooth smart sensor housed within a novel eye shield recorded 3-D positional data every five minutes. The device was placed on the patient immediately after PPV and data was retrieved at the postoperative day 1 visit. Readings were processed by vector analysis into 4 groups, stratified by the angle of deviation away from a completely prone head position. The primary outcome was the angle between vectors.

RESULTS

Ten patients were enrolled in this pilot study. The mean (SD) age was 57.5 (17.4). A total of 2318 readings with a mean (SD) of 231.8 (26.8) readings per patient were obtained. The mean (SD) number of readings were 132.9 (34.7) while awake and 98.9 (27.9) during sleep. Of total readings, only 11.7% fell into group 1 while a majority of readings fell in group 2 (52.4%), and group 3 (32.4%), and only 3.5% fell into group 4. Positional deviation increased during sleep hours, with about 46.8% of readings at a reclined angle (group 3) and 4.9% supine, which was 21.6% and 2.5% respectively during the wake time (p<0.001, p=0.002, respectively).

CONCLUSION

In this pilot study, a non-intrusive wireless 3-D position sensor-shield platform was tolerated well and capable of capturing positional data. Adherence to face-down positioning was low and positional deviation increased significantly while sleeping.

Postoperative positioning regimens in adults who undergo retinal detachment repair: A systematic review

Little is known about the comparative benefit of different positioning regimens in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair. We compared outcomes of different postoperative posturing regimens following pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched from 2000 to February 2022 for original studies that compared at least 2 postoperative posturing regimens in adults who underwent PPV for RRD. Seven comparative studies and 703 eyes were included. There were no differences in final visual acuity between posturing regimens. Single-procedure reattachment rates were higher with alternative positioning compared to prone positioning in patients with inferior breaks. Prone and alternative positioning were associated with similar risks of complications. In contrast, prone posturing had a higher risk of neck pain and intraocular pressure elevation than support-the-break, which had a greater risk of retinal displacement, retinal folds, and binocular diplopia. Immediate prone positioning was superior to delayed prone for the risk of retinal displacement. The present review shows that prone positioning was associated with a lower reattachment rate than alternative positioning. There were trade-offs in complications between prone and support-the-break positioning. Retinal displacement could be mitigated when prone positioning is maintained immediately after surgery.

Factors influencing compliance in RRD patients with the face-down position via grounded theory approach

Patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) require face-down positioning (FDP) for 3-6 months or longer after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) combined with silicone oil (SO) tamponade. This paper aimed to identify the factors that influenced FDP compliance. This study adopted semi-structured interviews with patients who require FDP after SO tamponade. Constructivist grounded theory was utilized in this study. The qualitative data was analyzed and coded via NVivo 11.0 through open coding, axial coding and selective coding. Twenty-four RRD patients were involved. The interviews yielded five main themes that defined home FDP compliance were identified: posture discomfort, doctor-patient communication, psychological factors, occupational character, and family factors. A theoretical model of the influencing factors of postural compliance of FDP was constructed based on the interview analysis. A variety of factors can affect FDP conformity. We can increase compliance of RRD patients by enhancing comfort, encouraging doctor-patient communication, providing comprehensive care, promoting community-based intervention, and strengthening family education.