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¹Ankara Atatürk EAH 2. Göz Kliniği Klinik Şefi, Ankara, Doç. Dr.
²Ankara Atatürk EAH 2. Göz Kliniği Başasistan, Ankara, Op. Dr.
³Ankara Atatürk EAH 2. Göz Kliniği, Ankara, Op. Dr.
⁴Ankara Atatürk EAH 2. Göz Kliniği, Ankara, Asist. Dr. Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a phacoemulsification technique which is developed by the authors, performed by rendering the supracapsular distal half of the nucleus.
Materials And Methods: On 52 eyes of 45 patients, the distal half of the nucleus was delivered partly to the anterior chamber (halfmoon supracapsular approach) and then the operation continued with the chop technique (Group I). These cases were compared with 47 eyes of 39 patients on in which the standard “endocapsular stop-chop” technique was used (Group II). The Two groups were found to be statistically compatible in terms of age, gender, laterality, follow up period, cataract hardness, preoperative visual acuity, pachymetric corneal thickness, maintained pupil widenesswidth, constituted capsulorhexis diameter and incision lengths, and they were compared with regard to the phaco time (PT) used during surgery, mean phaco power percentage (AP%), effective phaco time (EFT), total operation time (TOT), complications, postoperative visual acuities, pachymetric differences, and contrast sensitivities.
Results: In Group I, in which the half-moon-shaped partial supracapsular technictechnique was performed, peroperative records were as follows: PT; 0.19±0.14 min, AP%; 10.5%±6.75%, EFT; 1.59±1.84 sec., and TOT; 12.42±3.24 minutes. The same values for Group II, in which the endocapsular stop-chop technique was used, were 0.38±0.35 min., 17.6±7.3%, 4.45±6.62 sec., and 14.04±4.1 min,. respectively. All these differences were found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). In 3 cases (5.7%) of in Group I and in 4 cases (8.5%) of in Group II peroperative complications were encountered (p>0.05). Postoperative visual acuities were 0.84±0.21 (log MAR; 0.09±0.17) and 0.80±0.23 (log MAR; 0.12±0.18) respectively (p>0.05). Pachymetric increases in Groups I and II for in corneal thickness, with respect to preoperative values, were 49.42 μm and 30.65 μm on postoperative day 1st day, 20.83 μm and 15.18 μm on day 7th day, 2.61 μm and 1.08 μm on day 30th day, 0.46 μm and 0.77 μm on day 90th day in order, respectively (p>0.05). Contrast sensitivity values were 1.43±0.22 and 1.50±0.27 for 3 cpd, 1.65±0.23 and 1.66±0.25 for 6cpd, 1.26±0.34 and 1.25±0.35 for 12 cpd, and 0.90±0.33 and 0.85±0.33 for 18 cpd, respectively (p>0.05).
Conclusion: With these findings, the half-moon supracapsular phaco technique was found to be an easy and time gaining saving approach which is similar with to the standard endocapsular phaco technique in terms of safety but superior for in terms of the phaco time and energy used. Keywords : Phacoemulsification, endocapsular technique, stop and chop technique, supracapsular technique, half-moon supracapsular technique