Corneal endothelial cell coating during phacoemulsification using a new dispersive hyaluronic acid ophthalmic viscosurgical device

Corneal endothelial cell coating during phacoemulsification using a new dispersive hyaluronic acid ophthalmic viscosurgical device. An Experimental Clinical trial

Article specifications

This article was published in 2014 in journal of cataract and refractive surgery (IF 2015:2.72) by German ophthalmologists. In this study the effects of Cohesive and dispersive hyaluronic acid and combination of them in phacoemulsification were compared. In Group 1, a cohesive hyaluronic acid OVD Healon GV® (sodium hyaluronate 1.4%) was used. In Group 2, a dispersive hyaluronic acid OVD (Healon Endocoat ® (sodium hyaluronate 3.0%) was used.  In Group 3, cataract surgery was performed with the softshell technique using a combination of the cohesive OVD and dispersive OVD. Afterward, the cornea was trephined and a photograph taken of the endothelial side under blue light. The corneal coating with OVD was evaluated using planimetric image-analysis software.

Results

The soft-shell group (combination of both OVDs) had the highest endothelial surface coating value. Although the difference between Group 3 and the other 2 groups was not statistically significant, there was a tendency toward Group 3 having better corneal endothelial surface coverage than Group 2. Group 3 had the lowest effective followed by Group 2 and then Group 1. These results showed that combination of 2 OVDs in the soft-shell technique not only allows better endothelial coverage during surgery, but also seems to reduce the EPT, which is a second factor in protecting the corneal endothelium. The new dispersive hyaluronic acid OVD with a low molecular weight showed a greater adherence to the endothelial surface than the standard cohesive hyaluronic acid OVD with a higher molecular weight.