Soft-shell technique using Viscoat® and Healon®5: a prospective, randomized comparison between a dispersive-viscoadaptive and a dispersive-cohesive soft-shell technique

Soft-shell technique using Viscoat_ and Healon_5: a prospective, randomized comparison between a dispersive-viscoadaptive and a dispersive-cohesive soft-shell technique

Article specifications

This clinical trial was published in 2008 in Acta ophthalmologica (IF 2015:3.032) by Japanese ophthalmologists. In this study 207 eyes of 171 cataract patients underwent phacoemulsification using the dispersive viscoadaptive soft-shell technique one group (102 eyes) with Viscoat (sodium hyaluronate 3.0%–chondroitin sulfate 4.0%) and Healon5 (sodium hyaluronate 2.3%) or the dispersive-cohesive soft-shell technique and other (105 eyes) with Viscoat and a cohesive agent Opegan-Hi (sodium hyaluronate 1%).  Each group was divided into two subgroups depending on the amount of ultrasound (%Min) used during phacoemulsification. Corneal endothelial cell density was examined preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. The endothelial cell loss was compared between the two groups, and also between the subgroups. The IOP was measured preoperatively and 1 day, 1 week, and 3 months postoperatively. Endothelial cell density was measured preoperatively and 3 months after surgery.

 

Results

This study showed that the dispersive-viscoadaptive soft-shell technique is as effective as the dispersive-cohesive soft-shell technique in protecting corneal endothelial cells during phacoemulsification. Although the dispersive-viscoadaptive soft-shell technique is particularly useful in cases with shallow anterior chamber and ⁄ or poorly dilating pupil, because of its high ability to maintain anterior chamber depth.