Utility of a nitinol stone extractor for intraocular foreign body removal
Ye Huang1, Farid Khan1, Mark Chang2
1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Truhlsen Eye Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
Purpose:
To describe the novel application of a urological instrument, the nitinol stone basket, in the removal of a retained intraocular foreign body (IOFB).
Observations:
This is a retrospective case series describing two eyes of two patients presenting with metallic IOFBs after hammering metal-on-metal. Both patients underwent 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and successful IOFB extraction using the NCircle® Nitinol Tipless Stone Extractor. There were no intraoperative or post-surgical complications. Both patients demonstrated improvement in vision, with most recent postoperative visual acuities of 20/40 and 20/60.
Conclusions And Importance:
The nitinol stone basket may be considered for removal of IOFBs, particularly larger IOFBs that are difficult to grasp with forceps. Our cases add to the literature showing favorable visual outcomes and few complications in the post-operative period using this technique.
