[A comparative study of three intraoperative real-time fundus examinations in cataractous eyes]

Objective: To investigate whether the wide field imaging system (WFIS), 25G optical fiber and intraoperative optical coherence tomography (iOCT) can perform real-time screening and diagnosing in patients with highly suspected fundus diseasesintraoperatively. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out. One hundred and eighty-three densely cataractous eyes of 183 patients with suspected fundus diseases were included in the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University from July 2019 to June 2020. Lens phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens implantation was performed in these eyes. Following the opaque lens was removed, the patients were divided into 4 groups according to fundus examination methods: WFIS SW-8000 group (49 eyes), 25G optical fiber group (40 eyes), iOCT group (36 eyes), and combination group of three examination methods (58 eyes). Optical coherence tomography and/or fundus fluorescence angiography were used to detect the fundus after surgery. The intraoperative and postoperative examination results were compared to verify the accuracy of intraoperative diagnosis in each group. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Results: There were 79 males and 104 females in all patients, and the mean age was (69±10) years. Intraoperative examinations showed 82 eyes with fundus disease (positive rate was 44.81%), while postoperative examinations revealed 93 eyes with fundus disease (positive rate was 50.82%). In the WFIS SW-8000 group, fundus disease was found in 19 eyes intraoperatively and 26 eyes postoperatively (sensitive rate was 73.08%). In the 25G optical fiber group, fundus disease was found in 18 eyes intraoperatively and 20 eyes postoperatively (sensitive rate was 90.00%). In the iOCT group, fundus disease was observed in 20 eyes administratively and 22 eyes postoperatively (sensitive rate was 90.91%). In the combination group, fundus disease was observed in 25 eyes intraoperatively, which was consistent with the results of postoperative examinations (sensitive rate was 100.00%). There were statistically significant differences in the diagnostic sensitivity of fundus diseases among different methods (χ²=9.26; P<0.05). The diagnostic sensitivity of fundus diseases of the WFIS SW-8000 group was lower than that of the the combination group, the difference was statistically significant (χ²=7.80, P<0.01), and there was no significant difference between the other two groups (all P>0.05). Forty-nine eyes with fundus neovascular disease or severe macular edema requiring drug intervention were identified intraoperatively, and intravitreal anti-inflammatory and/or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs were injected in 41 eyes. Conclusions: The WFIS, 25G optical fiber and iOCT can be used to examine the fundus and detect fundus disease intraoperatively, facilitating timely diagnosis and treatment of retinopathy in patients with dense cataract. The combined application of the three methods has the highest sensitivity. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2021, 57: 850-856).