Study investigates long-term removal rate of hydrogel after scleral buckling

VIENNA — The percentage of hydrogel implants that will develop symptomatic swelling may in the long term be higher than reported in literature, according to a large retrospective study carried out in a hospital center in the Netherlands. MIRAgel (hydrogel, MIRA) was used for scleral buckling surgery as an alternative to silicone approximately for a decade from the mid-1980s. The softness of the material seemed to have advantages over silicone, but after a few years hydrogel underwent degeneration and progressive swelling occurred, causing symptoms from about 5 years after implantation.

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