[Massive suprachoroidal hemorrhage during cataract surgery: case report].

A massive suprachoroidal hemorrhage is defined as a hemorrhage in the suprachoroidal space of sufficient volume either to cause extrusion of intraocular contents outside of the eye or to force the inner retinal surfaces into apposition ('kissing'). This is a very rare but one of the most serious complications of the intraocular surgeries. The authors describe a case of 84-year-old woman, who developed a massive suprachoroidal hemorrhage during cataract surgery. In our case, the main reason of expulsive hemorrhage development was a Valsalva effect, caused by unexpected cough during surgery. In a Valsalva maneuver, a sudden increase in venous pressure may lead to vessel-wall rupture, by an apparently excessive pressure gradient across the vessel wall. We present clinical and echographical study of this patient.