Three-step incision for 23-gauge vitrectomy reduces postoperative hypotony compared with an oblique incision.
OBJECTIVE
to assess the efficacy and safety of the newly developed three-step incision method of performing 23-gauge vitrectomy.


METHODS
a retrospective comparative study in which a consecutive series of 45 eyes that underwent the three-step incision type of 23-gauge vitrectomy was compared with a series of 27 consecutive eyes that had previously undergone the oblique incision type of 23-gauge vitrectomy.


RESULTS
no cases of postoperative hypotony (< 6 mm Hg) were noted in the three-step group compared with 3 cases (11%) in the oblique group (P = .05). The three-step incision resulted in a significantly higher mean intraocular pressure than the conventional incision on postoperative day 1 (14.1 ± 6.7 mm Hg vs 10.9 ± 3.7 mm Hg; P = .05), but there was no significant difference after 1 week.


CONCLUSIONS
the three-step incision for performing 23-gauge vitrectomy effectively prevented postoperative hypotony and demonstrated a safety profile comparable to that of the oblique incision.
Department of Ophthalmology, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation Hospital, Kobe, Japan.
Masataka
M
Shimozono
Akio
A
Oishi
Hiroki
H
Kimakura
Mikiko
M
Kimakura
Yasuo
Y
Kurimoto
D000368:Aged; D019773:Epiretinal Membrane / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015814:Ocular Hypotension / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012167:Retinal Perforations / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012590:Sclera / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012599:Sclerostomy; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D013529:Surgical Wound Dehiscence / Q000517:prevention & control; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D014821:Vitrectomy / Q000379:methods*