title: Posterior capsule opacification following 20- and 23-gauge phacovitrectomy (posterior capsule opacification following phacovitrectomy).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the development of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) for idiopathic epi-retinal membrane cases between 20- and 23-gauge phacovitrectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cataract surgery of phacoemulsification with the SA60AT implantation and 20- or 23-gauge vitrectomy was performed for 20 patients in both groups. Cataract surgery alone was performed for 50 patients as the control. The PCO density values were measured using Scheimpflug video photography at 1 week, 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after surgery. The number of eyes that required Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy was also examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean PCO value in the 20-gauge phacovitrectomy group increased significantly with time (P<0.001), whereas those in the 23-gauge phacovitrectomy group and the cataract surgery group did not show any significant change. Furthermore, the PCO value in the 20-gauge phacovitrectomy group was significantly greater than that in the 23-gauge phacovitrectomy group at 6, 12, 18 (P<0.05), and 24 months (P<0.01) after surgery. The PCO value in the 23-gauge phacovitrectomy group was significantly greater than that in the cataract surgery group 24 months after surgery (P<0.05). The rate of capsulotomy in the 20-gauge phacovitrectomy group was significantly higher than that in the cataract surgery group (P=0.007), whereas there was no significant difference between the 23-gauge phacovitrectomy group and the cataract surgery group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PCO rate in eyes with the 23-gauge phacovitrectomy was lower than in those with the 20-gauge phacovitrectomy, and PCO rate even in the 23-gauge phacovitrectomy was higher than in those with cataract surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287-9277, USA. TsuyoshiIwase@aol.com
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwase
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Oveson
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D058442:Capsule Opacification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D019773:Epiretinal Membrane / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D057852:Posterior Capsule of the Lens / Q000473:pathology*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014821:Vitrectomy