[Wound rupture 1 year after cataract operation with 7 mm scleral tunnel incision (no-stitch technique)].

BACKGROUND

Wound strength of the self-sealing tunnel technique is much higher than the former sutured corneoscleral incision, as many experimental investigations have shown. Therefore only a few cases of traumatic wound rupture after tunnel incision are published. We report on a traumatic wound rupture with loss of the IOL with capsular bag and iris.

CASE REPORT: An 80-year-old patient suffered a traumatic wound rupture one year after cataract surgery with a 7-mm scleral self-sealing wound construction. The IOL with capsular bag and iris were expulsed and the wound construction was damaged. By gonioscopy a large irregular lesion of the inner lamella could be observed. After pars plana vitrectomy of the severe vitreous hemorrhage a visual acuity of 0.5 was achieved. The mechanism of the wound rupture is discussed.

CONCLUSION

The loss of the iris and the IOL and the lesion of the inner lamella suggest a massive force. The yet existing relative wound stability after the trauma depends on the still working self-sealing mechanism of the tunnel construction in spite of the lesion of the inner lamella.