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Surgeon recommends pars plana vitrectomy technique in cases of ruptured capsule
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NEW YORK — A pars plana vitrectomy technique in cases of ruptured capsule during phacoemulsification offers the advantages of being safer and more thorough, gives good access to remaining lens fragments and gives a better chance of maintaining capsular support than a limbal approach, according to a speaker here.
 Louis D. "Skip" Nichamin |
In a presentation on pearls for vitrectomy at OSN New York 2009, Louis D. "Skip" Nichamin, MD, said the goals of vitrectomy are to "avoid enlarging the capsular opening, perform a limited but thorough vitrectomy and avoid unnecessary vitreoretinal tractional forces."
"We need to maintain a closed chamber environment, and even a 1.8-mm incision is too big and will leak," Dr. Nichamin said of attempting to perform vitrectomy through a cataract surgery microincision.
Dr. Nichamin recommended optimizing ophthalmic viscosurgical device use to avoid anterior chamber collapse, removing the vitreous with a high cutting rate with low vacuum, removing residual lens material by then lowering the cutting rate and increasing vacuum, making sure to release the vacuum whenever the cutter is repositioned, cleaning and suturing the incision, and examining the peripheral retina.
OSN New York 2010 will be held November 19-21, 2010 at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers in New York City. Learn more at OSNNY.com.