Effect of phaco tip diameter on efficiency and chatter.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate 3 phacoemulsification tips of different sizes and determine which size is most efficient in lens fragment removal using 3 ultrasound (US) approaches.


METHODS
John A. Moran Eye Center Laboratories, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.


METHODS
Experimental study.


METHODS
Porcine lens nuclei were formalin-soaked for 2 hours then divided into 2.0 mm cubes; 1.1 mm, 0.9 mm, and 0.7 mm phaco tips were used with torsional and micropulsed US. The 1.1 mm tips were unavailable for torsional US, so 0.9 mm and 0.7 mm tips were used. Efficiency (amount of time for lens removal) and chatter (number of lens-fragment repulsions from the tip) were determined.


RESULTS
The mean phacoemulsification efficiency was highest with the 0.9 mm tip for all US variations. There were statistically significant differences between the 0.9 mm and 0.7 mm tips with micropulsed US (0.8 seconds ± 0.29 [SD] versus 1.4 ± 0.93 seconds; P=.0112) and transversal US (0.8 ± 0.17 seconds versus 1.4 ± 0.89 seconds; P=.0065). There was no significant difference between 0.9 mm and 0.7 mm tips with torsional US or between the 1.1 mm and 0.9 mm tips with micropulsed or transversal US; however, trends were identical, with 0.9 mm tips performing better than 0.7 mm and 1.1 mm tips.


CONCLUSIONS
With all 3 systems, the 0.9 mm tip was most efficient, with the fewest outliers and smallest standard deviation.


BACKGROUND
No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
From the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Aabid M
AM
Farukhi
From the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Brian C
BC
Stagg
From the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Cecinio
C
Ronquillo
From the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
William R
WR
Barlow
From the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Jeff H
JH
Pettey
From the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Electronic address: randallj.olson@hsc.utah.edu.
Randall J
RJ
Olson
Isha
I
Gupta
Jason D
JD
Jensen
D000818:Animals; D019220:High-Energy Shock Waves; D007907:Lens Nucleus, Crystalline / Q000601:surgery*; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D013552:Swine; D014465:Ultrasonics / Q000592:standards*