Phaco technique may influence incisional wound leakage during lens chop

J Cataract Refract Surg. 2009;35(6):1003-1005.

Removal of the chopper during coaxial phacoemulsification after segmentation improves fluid loss and anterior chamber stability, according to a study.

In a consecutive series of 105 patients after uneventful cataract surgery, around 127 mL of fluid, about 67%, was lost to incisional wound leakage. Fluid loss was measured as the difference between the total volume of irrigation fluid used and volume of fluid aspirated.

There was a noticeable difference in fluid loss depending on how long the chopper was left in the eye after using the phaco chop technique. Surgeries in which the chopper was left in situ during the entire phacoemulsification stage lost around 75% of fluid, whereas surgeries in which the chopper was removed after all the segments were chopped lost around 59% of fluid (P < .005).

There was also a significant positive correlation between incisional leakage and operation time and absolute phacoemulsification time, the study authors said.