title: Change in the area of laser posterior capsulotomy: 3 month follow-up.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To monitor the change in the area of laser posterior capsulotomy over time to determine whether and when the area becomes stable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Taipei Municipal Yang-Ming Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study comprised 53 eyes (46 patients) with posterior capsule opacification (PCO) that had neodymium:YAG (Nd:YAG) laser posterior capsulotomy. The capsulotomy area was measured 30 minutes, 1 week, and 1 and 3 months postoperatively. The correlations between the capsulotomy area and changes in other measurements were also evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The capsulotomy area increased significantly 1 month after laser treatment and stabilized thereafter. The mean area increased from 9.26 mm(2) +/- 0.47 (SEM) to 10.88 +/- 0.66 mm(2) (17.49%) after 3 months. At 3 months, the area was 19.10% +/- 4.85% larger than at 30 minutes after capsulotomy. The change in area did not correlate significantly with changes in intraocular pressure, anterior chamber depth, spherical equivalent, refractive astigmatism, keratometric astigmatism, or residual astigmatism from 1 week after treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The capsulotomies enlarged progressively up to 1 month after Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy for PCO and stabilized thereafter.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Republic of (Hu), Taipei, Taiwan.
authors: C Y
authors: CY
authors: Hu
authors: L C
authors: LC
authors: Woung
authors: M C
authors: MC
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002386:Cataract / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D007903:Lens Capsule, Crystalline / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors