Comparison of early corneal endothelial cell loss after coaxial phacoemulsification through 1.8 mm microincision and bimanual phacoemulsification through 1.7 mm microincision

Purpose

To compare corneal endothelial cell loss after coaxial 1.8 mm microincision cataract surgery (MICS) and bimanual 1.7 mm MICS.

Setting

Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.

Methods

The study comprised a nonrandomized prospective consecutive series of 51 eyes of 51 patients who had coaxial MICS with implantation of an MI60 foldable intraocular lens (IOL) using a 1.8 mm temporal clear corneal microincision. Fifty eyes of 50 patients who had uneventful bimanual MICS through a 1.7 mm temporal clear corneal incision for a sleeveless phaco tip and a side port for an irrigating chopper with a foldable Acri.Smart 48S foldable IOL implantation served as a reference group. Corneal endothelial cell density, intraoperative phaco power, effective phaco time, and preoperative and postoperative visual acuities were evaluated. The measurements were performed in a semiautomated masked manner. Statistical analysis was done using nonparametric tests (Wilcoxon signed rank test and Mann-Whitney U test).

Results

The patients were examined preoperatively and 2 weeks to 1 month postoperatively. The mean follow-up was 22.58 days ± 5.08 (SD). Postoperatively, the mean corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA)was 0.95 ± 13 in both groups. There was a significant decrease in endothelial cell density in both groups, 9.46% in Group 1 and 9.27% in Group 2. The between-group difference was not statistically significant (P>.05, Mann-Whitney U test).

Conclusions

The visual results were excellent in both groups. Both MICS techniques enabled preservation of corneal endothelial cells equally well and were similar in terms of minor surgical trauma and the influence of surgery on corneal endothelial cell density. Our results support the use of both MICS techniques for cataract surgery.