Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate the physiologic retinal response to uneventful cataract surgery using novel spectral domain optical coherence tomography systems (SD-OCT) in combination to an assessment of the anterior chamber inflammatory reaction by laser flare/ cell meter (LCFM).
Methods: :
30 healthy eyes of 30 patients who underwent uneventful cataract surgery were included in this prospective study. Retinal parameters were examined according to a standardized examination procedure including two different SD-OCT systems (Cirrus, Carl Zeiss Meditec; OCT 1000, Topcon) and conventional Stratus OCT. The inflammatory reaction of the anterior chamber was measured by LFCM (Kowa FC-500). Examinations were carried out preoperatively, at day 2, week 1 and week 4 postoperatively. Morphological evaluation was performed as an additional effort following a standardized OCT grading procedure.
Results: :
At baseline, central retinal thickness (CRT) was 185,8µm and retinal volume (RV) was 6,9µm. At day 2 postoperatively (D2), a significant decrease of CRT and RV was identified in 63,3% of our patients (CRT 175,1µm and RV 6,8µm at D2). This reduction was followed by an increase of both parameters at week 4 by conventional as well as SD-OCT.LFCM showed peak values in all patients at D2 postoperatively with a constant decrease during the following visits. Morphological analysis revealed no visible intraretinal cysts or edema after surgery. All patients demonstrated a continuous outer photoreceptor band with absence of any focal interruptions.
Conclusions: :
A decrease of retinal thickness, immediately after surgical intervention could be shown with novel SD and conventional OCT technologies. Interestingly, retinal response to cataract surgery was accentuated to the central retinal parameters, indicating that the peripheral parts of the retina were less affected by the postoperative retinal reaction. Initial decrement in retinal thickness correlated to high values in LCFM measurements. However, retinal thinning was compensated by week 1 in this study. By using the advantages of rasterscanning mode, SD-OCT technology is clearly superior to conventional OCT imaging and helps to investigate the physiologic retinal response to uneventful cataract surgery in particular detail.
Keywords: retina • cataract • imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound)