Safety of irrigation with 5-fluorouracil in a sealed-capsule irrigation device in the rabbit eye.
OBJECTIVE
To study the safety of irrigation with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in the Perfect Capsule sealed-capsule irrigation device (Milvella, Ltd., Epping, Australia).


METHODS
St. Erik's Eye Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.


METHODS
Thirty 8-week-old rabbits were divided into 4 groups. Clear lens extraction was performed and the Perfect Capsule was applied in 1 eye in Groups 1, 2 and 3. The sealed system was flushed with balanced salt solution (BSS) in Group 1, 5-FU 50 mg/mL in Group 2, and 5-FU followed by BSS in Group 3. In Group 4, the Perfect Capsule was not applied; instead, 0.2 mL of 5-FU was instilled in the capsule and left there for 30 seconds. An endothelial cell count and pachymetry were performed preoperatively and 24 hours postoperatively. At 24 or 48 hours (half of each group at each time point), the rabbits were killed and the retina and trabecular meshwork histopathologically examined. The endothelial cell count and pachymetry were compared between the Perfect Capsule eye and the control eye in Group 1.


RESULTS
There was no difference between the groups in endothelial cell count (P = .96) or pachymetry (P = .32). Histologic evaluation showed no damage from the 5-FU. The comparison between eyes in Group 1 showed that the use of the Perfect Capsule did not cause more endothelial cell loss (P = .86) or increase pachymetry more (P = .28) than in the control eye.


CONCLUSIONS
Irrigation with 5-FU 50 mg/mL in the sealed-capsule irrigation device was safe and caused no apparent damage to the adjacent intraocular tissues.
Abdelwahab
Mahmoud Taie
MT
St. Erik's Eye Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Kugelberg
Maria
M
Seregard
Stefan
S
Zetterström
Charlotta
C
D000818:Animals; D000963:Antimetabolites / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D002386:Cataract / Q000517:prevention & control; D002452:Cell Count; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000187:drug effects; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D007903:Lens Capsule, Crystalline / Q000187:drug effects*; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D011817:Rabbits; D012160:Retina / Q000187:drug effects; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation / Q000295:instrumentation
D000963:Antimetabolites; D005472:Fluorouracil