title: Surgical technique and postoperative complications in congenital cataract surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We evaluated cases that underwent congenital cataract surgery in terms of the surgical technique, post-operative complications, and visual prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively evaluated 132 eyes in 76 patients with congenital cataracts who underwent cataract surgery between January 1995 and December 2000. The patient age at surgery, surgical technique, post-operative complications, and final visual prognosis were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty eyes underwent aspiration, posterior capsulotomy, and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation; 22 eyes underwent aspiration and posterior capsulotomy; 39 eyes underwent aspiration, posterior capsulotomy, and anterior vitrectomy; and 41 eyes underwent aspiration, posterior capsulotomy, anterior vitrectomy, and IOL implantation. The most frequent complications were secondary cataract (24.2%), posterior synechiae (9.1%), and glaucoma (3%). Groups were compared according to surgical technique and incidence of complications. Complications occurred most frequently with aspiration and posterior capsulotomy and occurred less frequently with aspiration, posterior capsulotomy, and anterior vitrectomy; these differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). The difference in the final visual prognosis was statistically significant in the aspiration, posterior capsulotomy, anterior vitrectomy, and IOL implantation groups as compared with the other groups (p<0.05). The mean follow up times was 15.5+/-1.78 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most frequent complication of congenital cataract surgery is secondary cataract formation. Today, posterior capsulotomy with anterior vitrectomy is the preferred method for decreasing the incidence of this complication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophtalmology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, TR-21280 Diyarbakir, Turkey. sokers@dicle.edu.tr
authors.forename: Sevin Soker
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Cakmak
authors.forename: Ihsan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Caca
authors.forename: M Kaan
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Unlu
authors.forename: Alpay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cakmak
authors.forename: Gonul
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Olmez
authors.forename: Yildirim Beyazit
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Sakalar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002386:Cataract / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome