title: Surgical outcomes of 23-gauge vitrectomy for the management of lens fragments dropped into the vitreous cavity during cataract surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the clinical features and surgical outcomes of 23-Gauge (G) vitrectomy for lens fragments dropped into the vitreous during cataract surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective, non-comparative, interventional case series at a single medical center. The medical records of 45 eyes from 45 consecutive patients who were referred to our hospital for surgical retrieval of phacoemulsification dropped lens fragments and who underwent 23-G vitrectomy were retrospectively reviewed. Data pertaining to patient demographics, pre- and post-operative Snellen visual acuity, and postoperative complications were recorded. Factors associated with dropped lens fragments were also examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean patient age was 68.18 ± 11.47 years. The preoperative and postoperative mean logarithm of minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity was 1.91 ± 0.59 (Snellen equivalent 0.06 ± 0.15) and 0.42 ± 0.51 (Snellen equivalent 0.54 ± 0.31), respectively. Forty-two eyes (93.3%) had dislocated lens fragments <50% of the total lens size. Two eyes (4.4%) had a large and hard lens nucleus, which necessitated the use of a 20-G fragmatome to efficiently and completely remove the lens material. At the final examination, 30 eyes (66.6%) had a visual acuity better than 20/40. Post-vitrectomy complications included elevated IOP for at least 3 months (n = 5 eyes, 11.1%), intraocular lens dislocation (n = 2 eyes, 4.4%), and cystoid macular edema (n = 1 eye, 2.2%). No cases of postoperative endophthalmitis or retinal detachment were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A 23-G vitrectomy is safe and efficient for the surgical management of dropped lens fragments following cataract surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung Min
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyoung Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Han Joo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young Ju
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lew
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Moon Jung
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Il
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chul Gu
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Gon
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Su Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Yoo
keywords: 23 Gauge vitrectomy; Complication; Dropped lens; Lensectomy; Phacoemulsification