Abstract
Purpose: :
To report laser parameters used for the PASCAL® photocoagulation system with short pulse duration (20 msec) in patients treated at our institution for different retinal conditions. Perioperative complications type and incidence are also reported.
Methods: :
We conducted a retrospective chart review of 752 eyes who underwent laser treatment using the PASCAL® photocoagulation system from December 2006 to November 2008. A total of 1,241 interventions applied with a wide field (Quadraspheric) or three mirror lens were divided into three groups - group A, focal or modified grid macular laser for diabetic macular edema; group B, panretinal photocoagulation for proliferative diabetic retinopathy; group C, retinopexy for retinal tears and holes. Retinal whitening was the desired endpoint during irradiation. Descriptive statystical analysis was performed for laser settings including power, exposure time, spot size, number of spots, number of treatments/eye. The gaussianity of each distribution was tested with Shapiro-Wilk test.
Results: :
Results are synthetized in Table 1. Most frequently used patterns were single spot (89% of cases) in group A, 5x5 box with 0.5 spot spacing (72%) in group B, and 2x2 box with 0.5 spot spacing (78%) in group C. Distributions of all variables analysed are non-normal and asymmetrical. No complications was encountered in group A and C. In group B, three cases of retinal haemorrhage secondary to a micro-explosion and two cases of choroidal detachment were reported.
Conclusions: :
Retinal photocoagulation with short duration is clinically feasible without significant complications. Powers used are higher than usually applied with longer pulses (100-200 msec) as previously reported.
Keywords: laser • diabetic retinopathy