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Comparison of the phaco chop and drill‐and‐crack techniques for phacoemulsification of hard cataracts: A fellow eye study
Author(s) -
Abdelmotaal Hazem,
AbdelRadi Mahmoud,
Rateb Mahmoud F.,
Eldaly Zeiad H.,
Abdelazeem Khaled
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/aos.14582
Subject(s) - phacoemulsification , medicine , cataracts , ophthalmology , drill , significant difference , chop , visual acuity , surgery , materials science , metallurgy , chemotherapy
Purpose To quantify the intraoperative parameters and postoperative outcomes after using the phaco chop technique in one eye and drill‐and‐crack technique in the other eye in patients with bilateral dense brunescent cataract. Methods The Lens Opacities Classification System III grading system was used to select 132 eyes of 66 patients with bilateral nuclear opalescence (NO) grade NO4 or grade NO5. One eye in each patient with bilateral dense brunescent cataract was subjected to phacoemulsification using the phaco chop technique, while the other eye was subjected to phacoemulsification with the drill‐and‐crack technique for nucleus disassembly. The intraoperative parameters were quantified. Surgical outcome was assessed preoperatively and 1 day, 4 weeks and 12 weeks postoperatively, and the outcomes of the two techniques were compared. Results There was no significant difference between the techniques in operative parameters [cumulative dissipated energy (p = 0.74), surgical time (p = 0.68) or surgical difficulty during nucleus disassembly (p = 0.80)]. There was no significant difference in the postoperative change in central corneal thickness between the techniques at day 1, 4 weeks and 12 weeks or in corneal endothelial cell density loss at 4 and 12 weeks (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference between the techniques in the mean corrected distance visual acuity (logarithm of the minimum angle resolution) at 4 weeks postoperatively (p = 0.25). Conclusion The phaco chop and drill‐and‐crack techniques are equally effective for disassembly of hard NO4 and NO5 cataracts.