Application of vertical chop combined with horizontal chop in hard nuclear cataract surgery

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of vertical chop combined with horizontal chop in hard nuclear cataract surgery. Methods A retrospective study. Total of 86 eyes of 86 patients with senile cataract were randomly divided into two groups, and all nuclear classification ranged from IV to V. Group A, 43 patients, received vertical chop combined with horizontal chop. Group B, 43 patients, received phacoemulsification with high vacuum splitting. The efficacy were compared between the two groups. Results The ultrasonic time (UST) was (67.77±14.68) s of group A and (103.09±44.89) s of group. The cumulative dissipated energy (CDE) was 35.33±12.75 of group A and 41.25±14.35 in group B. The difference in UST and CDE were significant statistically between the two groups (P 0.3 occupied 86.05 % in group A and 67.44 % in group B (P=0.04). The corneal edema at 1 day postoperatively in group A was lower than that in group B, the difference was statistically significant between the two groups (P=0.03). The difference in degree of corneal edema at 7 days after surgery was not statistically significant between the two groups. The corneal endothelial cells (CECs) in 1 month postoperatively was (2 371.30±179.02)/mm2 in group A and (2 157.80±156.46)/mm2 in group B(P<0.01). The loss rate of CECs was (8.73±3.74)% in group A and (15.41±3.54)% in group B(P<0.01). Conclusion Application of vertical nuclear chop combined with horizontal nuclear chop in hard nuclear cataracts surgery is effective. Key words: Cataracts, hard nuclear; Chop, vertical; Chop, horizontal