Silicone Sponge Rejection

Thirty-one cases in a series of 127 cases operated on by the Lincoff technique for retinal detachment surgery required removal of the silicone sponge implants. Sponge rejection or infection can be divided into two distinct categories: Early and late. Nine cases were classified early and required removal of the sponge within the first eight weeks following surgery. These cases were a result of contamination at the time of surgery or in the immediate postoperative period. Twenty-three cases required sponge removal between two months and four years following surgery. We believe that mechanical factors affecting the implant are primarily responsible for sponge rejection in these late cases and that infection and foreign body reaction play only a secondary role.