[Effect of cataract technique and duration of surgery on fibrin reaction after IOL implantation].

BACKGROUND

Having changed our cataract operation technique from ECCE to phacoemulsification (PE) we had the impression of less fibrinous membranes postoperatively.

METHOD: To ascertain whether our impression was correct, we examined the last 2056 IOL implanted cataract patients retrospectively.

RESULTS

In the 2056 cataract cases we found 152 fibrinous reactions (7.4%). We observed after ECCE (n = 586) a 12.8% rate of fibrinous membranes, after phacoemulsification (PE) with sutured 6.5-mm corneoscleral incision (n = 546) 7.0%, and after PE with clear corneal self-sealing 4.1-mm incision (n = 924) only 3.9%. In 56% of these patients we found diabetes, in 13% former uveitis with posterior synechiae, in 11% glaucoma with rigid pupil, and in 10% pseudoexfoliation syndrome. In those cases with no diabetic retinopathy but known diabetes (n = 198), we found a 27% rate of fibrin reactions following ECCE (12 mm), 12% following PE (6.5 mm) and 8% following PE (4.1 mm). In non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (n = 80) a 32% rate of fibrinous changes was observed after ECCE, 18% after PE (6.5 mm), and 9% after PE (4.1 mm). In cases of uncomplicated ECCE (n = 341) the rate of fibrinous reactions amounted to 22.4% following prolonged procedures (> 50 min) by residents, while it was as low as 9.5% following operations of short duration (< 30 min) by experienced surgeons. Intraocular injection of tPA (25 micrograms) was the most effective treatment.

CONCLUSION

The self-sealing corneal small incision cataract technique guarantees a short duration of the surgical procedure and the last fibrinous reactions.