title: Safety of anterior chamber paracentesis using a 30-gauge needle integrated with a specially designed disposable pipette.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the safety of anterior chamber (AC) paracentesis using a 30-gauge needle integrated with a specially designed disposable pipette.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective observational case-series study, AC paracentesis was performed on 301 eyes of 301 patients between September 2009 and August 2016 at the Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and the Baptist Eye Institute, Kyoto, Japan. AC paracentesis was performed with the patient placed in the supine position using a 30-gauge needle integrated with a disposable pipette with one hand, and the safety post procedure was then evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The indications for AC paracentesis were virus detection (ie, corneal endotheliitis, anterior infectious uveitis, cytomegalovirus retinitis and acute retinal necrosis) in 264 eyes, bacterial detection (ie, endophthalmitis) in 8 eyes and malignancy (ie, primary intraocular lymphoma, leukaemia and retinoblastoma) in 29 eyes. No serious complications such as infection, hyphema, lens trauma or severe inflammation including hypopyon and AC fibrin formation were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings show that AC paracentesis with a disposable pipette is safe with no severe complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Frontier Medical Science and Technology for Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.|Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.|Department of Ophthalmology, Baptist Eye Institute, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kitazawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Chie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sotozono
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inatomi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Frontier Medical Science and Technology for Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.|Department of Ophthalmology, Baptist Eye Institute, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000867:Anterior Chamber / Q000601:surgery*; D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation; D004209:Disposable Equipment; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009339:Needles; D019152:Paracentesis / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014605:Uveitis / Q000175:diagnosis
keywords: Anterior chamber; Aqueous humour; Cornea; Diagnostic tests/Investigation