Abstract
Purpose
To describe and evaluate the feasibility of a novel pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) technique for the removal of retained lens material (RLM), which obviates the need for either 20-gauge intravitreal fragmentation or perfluorocarbon-assisted elevation.
Methods
Interventional case series. After thorough 23-gauge PPV, the hard lens material is engaged and held adherent to the vitreous cutter using aspiration, then raised into the anterior chamber. There, a standard phacoemulsification probe, inserted through a corneal incision, is used to fragment and remove the material.
Results
Three eyes of 3 patients were operated on. In all eyes, RLM could be removed completely. Postoperatively, 2 of 3 eyes (67%) achieved 20/20 best-corrected visual acuity. No complications such as glaucoma, cystoid macular edema, corneal edema, or retinal detachments were recorded. Intraoperatively, retinal tears were detected in 2 of 3 (67%) eyes and treated with endolaser retinopexy and fluid-air exchange. One eye subsequently developed macular hole requiring further surgery.
Conclusion
Suction-assisted lens elevation may be a viable and convenient technique to remove RLM during PPV. Although the comparison with other methods is beyond the scope of this preliminary study, visual outcomes and complication rates were encouraging and should be validated in a larger group of patients.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
