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Large polar opacity linked to increased risk of posterior capsule rupture during phaco
Clin Experiment Ophthalmol. 2010;38(9):857-861.
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Phacoemulsification in eyes with polar opacities larger than 4 mm in diameter was associated with an elevated risk of posterior capsule rupture, a study found.
"The extreme thinness and fragility of the posterior capsule and the adherence of the opacity to the capsule are responsible for this complication," the study authors said.
No other known study has linked the risk of posterior capsule tears to polar opacity size, they said.
The retrospective study included 58 eyes of 51 patients who underwent phacoemulsification for posterior polar cataract. Mean patient age was 56.6 years.
Cataract surgery was performed through a clear corneal incision, with a continuous curvilinear capsulorrhexis of about 5.5 mm. Mean follow-up was 15.4 months. IOLs were implanted in the capsular bag in 50 eyes and in the sulcus in eight eyes.
Study results showed that 23 eyes had polar opacity diameter of 4 mm or more; 35 eyes had opacity of less than 4 mm. Posterior capsule rupture was identified in nine eyes (15.51%): seven eyes with polar opacities 4 mm or larger and two eyes with opacities smaller than 4 mm. The difference was significant (P = .039).
Posterior capsule rupture occurred in eight of 43 eyes of patients older than 50 years and in one of 15 eyes of patients younger than 50 years. The difference was statistically insignificant.