[Preoperative use of suction cup oculopression in comparison with Vörösmarthy oculopression]

In contrast to Vörösmarthy oculopression (VOP), suction-cup oculopression (SOP) is "pure" oculopression without compression of orbital tissue. Prior to 44 cataract operations with posterior chamber lens implantation, the authors performed SOP (negative pressure - 110 mm Hg) or VOP (level of oculopression 30 mm Hg) of the same duration (average 26 min). Before oculopression, a retrobulbar injection (RBI) was performed for local anesthesia. The intraocular pressure (IOP) was decreased by 14 mm Hg to 3.9 and 4.9 mm Hg after SOP and VOP, respectively. After VOP, the iris-vitreous diaphragm was more frequently judged to be concave, i.e., vaulted against the retina, than after SOP (standardized questionnaire). After RBI + SOP, a post-injection of anesthetic was necessary in three cases; no additional injection was required after RBI + VOP. In conclusion, identical preoperative reductions in IOP can be achieved with SOP and VOP. Regarding the form of the iris-vitreous diaphragm and the frequency of post-injection, the differences between the two methods may be related to the lack of orbital compression during SOP.