Comparison of posterior capsule opacification after two different surgical methods of cataract extraction.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the extent of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) after AquaLase and NeoSoniX phacoemulsification methods using two types of software for PCO quantification.


METHODS
Prospective, randomized clinical trial.


METHODS
At the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital in Hradec Králové, 50 patients (100 eyes) were analyzed one year after surgery. AquaLase was used in the right eye and NeoSoniX in the left eye of each patient. One year after surgery, digital retroillumination photographs of anterior segments were obtained. The Evaluation of Posterior Capsule Opacification (EPCO) 2000 software (Berlin, Germany) and the Open-Access Systematic Capsule Assessment (OSCA) system (Edinburgh, United Kingdom) were used for PCO assessment. Best-corrected Snellen visual acuity (BCVA) was evaluated before and after surgery. Statistical analysis was performed using parametric tests.


RESULTS
The EPCO 2000 results were as follows: mean value for right eyes, 0.324+/-0.305; mean value for left eyes, 0.298+/-0.341; no difference was proved (P=.532). The OSCA results were as follows: for right eyes, 0.7097+/-0.3777; for left eyes, 0.8584+/-0.4323; significant difference (P=.046), worse for left eyes. No correlation between EPCO 2000 and OSCA results was established (P>.001; correlation coefficient, 0.347). BCVA for the right eyes was 0.837+/-0.262 and for the left eyes was 0.849+/-0.224. Neodymium:yytrium-aluminum-garnet capsulotomy was performed in one eye in the NeoSoniX group, and in no eyes in the AquaLase group.


CONCLUSIONS
There was no significant difference in PCO measured by EPCO 2000, however, PCO after AquaLase as assessed by EPCO 2000 was slightly denser. The OSCA system gave significantly higher scores in the NeoSoniX group. No correlation between EPCO 2000 and OSCA outcomes was proved.
Nekolová
Jana
J
Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital in Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. jani.nekolova@seznam.cz
Pozlerová
Jana
J
Jirásková
Nada
N
Rozsíval
Pavel
P
Kadlecová
Jana
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000869:Anterior Eye Segment / Q000473:pathology; D002386:Cataract / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007903:Lens Capsule, Crystalline / Q000473:pathology*; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012984:Software; D014792:Visual Acuity