[Phacoemulsification--personal experience on my first 507 cases]

The evaluation of the intra and post operative early complications of the phacoemulsification with posterior chamber artificial lens implant on my first 507 cases.

A retrospective study on 507 eyes operated by cataract through phacoemulsification technique at the Emergency Military Hospital from Cluj-Napoca during the 1st of May-30th of June 2002. The surgeries were performed by the same surgeon through a corneal or a scleral incision using rigid and foldable artificial lenses. The evaluation period lasted 2 months, the types and frequency of the intraoperative and early postoperative complications being analyzed.

The intraoperative complications were represented by the posterior capsule's efraction in 17 cases (3.37%); zonular rupture in 3 cases (0.59%); the loss of the nucleus into vitreous 4 cases (0.79%); the luxation of the crystalline lens in the anterior chamber in 5 cases (0.99%); the hyphaema and iris trauma in 14 cases (2.76%); incomplete cortical clean-up in 9 cases (1.78%); the failed capsulorhexis in 7 cases (1.38%) and the conversion to ECCE in 8 cases (1.58%). The early postoperative complications met into the study were: the corneal edema in 34 cases (6.71%); raised IOP in 18 cases (3.55%); the retained lens material in 9 cases (1.78%); the late inflammatory reactions in 6 cases (1.18%); hypopyon in 3 cases (0.59%); endophthalmitis in 3 cases (0.59%); retinal detachment in 1 case (0.2%) and the anterior capsule fibrosis in 4 cases (0.79%).

The phacoemulsification is a high security technique because of the small incision and the sharp accuracy. The complications correlate themselves with the surgeon experience and with some particularities of the cataract (the brunescent cataract at the old patient, the medium dilatation of the pupil, etc.).