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Capsulotomy shown to decrease Elschnig pearls outside YAG opening

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VIENNA — An award-winning poster study presented here at the European Society of Ophthalmology meeting showed YAG capsulotomy significantly decreased the size and number of Elschnig pearls both within and outside of the capsulotomy site.

N.D. Hirnschall and colleagues analyzed 2,430 Elschnig pearls 10 minutes after YAG capsulotomy. They found that all 730 pearls within the YAG opening disappeared (41.8%). In addition, outside the YAG opening, 535 pearls disappeared (30.6%) and 502 pearls survived (27.6%). The authors noted that 663 pearls were not present in the pre-YAG image.

The pearls remaining outside the opening after capsulotomy decreased in size from a precapsulotomy mean of 5,190 µm² to 2,170 µm², Dr. Hirnschall said.

The prospective study was carried out on 45 pseudophakic eyes in 40 patients. A group of 23 eyes in 21 patients with severe posterior capsular opacification were measured three times before Nd:YAG capsulotomy and three times after treatment.

The pearls were analyzed from retroillumination images.