title: Comparison of the maximum applicable stretch force after femtosecond laser-assisted and manual anterior capsulotomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To objectively measure the strength of the capsulotomy performed with a femtosecond laser-assisted technique or performed manually in a pig-eye laboratory study.
  
  
  METHODS
  International Vision Correction Research Centre, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten fresh pig eyes were randomly assigned to femtosecond laser-assisted capsulotomy or manual capsulotomy. The capsule was immersed in hyaluronic acid, and retractors were fixed in the capsule opening with a pull-force measuring device. The force necessary to break the capsulotomy was measured in millinewtons (mN); the maximum stretching ratio was also assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The observed mean rupture force (ie, maximum amount of force measured immediately before tissue rupture) was 113 mN ± 12 (SD) in the laser-assisted procedure and 73 ± 22 mN in the manual procedure (P<.05). The stretching ratios were 1.60 ± 0.10 (femtosecond) and 1.35 ± 0.04 (manual) (P<.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this laboratory pig-eye study, femtosecond laser-assisted capsulotomy resulted in a significantly stronger anterior capsule opening than the standard manually performed capsulotomy.
authors.affiliation: From the International Vision Correction Research Centre (Auffarth, Holzer, Rabsilber), Department of Ophthalmology, Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, and Technolas Perfect Vision GmbH (Ritter), Munich, Germany; MaxiVision Eye Hospitals (Reddy), Hyderabad, India. Electronic address: ga@uni-hd.de.
authors.forename: Gerd U
authors.initials: GU
authors.lastname: Auffarth
authors.affiliation: From the International Vision Correction Research Centre (Auffarth, Holzer, Rabsilber), Department of Ophthalmology, Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, and Technolas Perfect Vision GmbH (Ritter), Munich, Germany; MaxiVision Eye Hospitals (Reddy), Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Kasu Prasad
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.affiliation: From the International Vision Correction Research Centre (Auffarth, Holzer, Rabsilber), Department of Ophthalmology, Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, and Technolas Perfect Vision GmbH (Ritter), Munich, Germany; MaxiVision Eye Hospitals (Reddy), Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ritter
authors.affiliation: From the International Vision Correction Research Centre (Auffarth, Holzer, Rabsilber), Department of Ophthalmology, Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, and Technolas Perfect Vision GmbH (Ritter), Munich, Germany; MaxiVision Eye Hospitals (Reddy), Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Mike P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Holzer
authors.affiliation: From the International Vision Correction Research Centre (Auffarth, Holzer, Rabsilber), Department of Ophthalmology, Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, and Technolas Perfect Vision GmbH (Ritter), Munich, Germany; MaxiVision Eye Hospitals (Reddy), Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Tanja M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Rabsilber
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057866:Anterior Capsule of the Lens / Q000601:surgery*; D019923:Capsulorhexis / Q000379:methods*; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D007903:Lens Capsule, Crystalline / Q000502:physiology*; D013552:Swine; D013718:Tensile Strength / Q000502:physiology*