CLEAR CORNEAL INCISIONS IN B-MICS CATARACT SURGERY: THE LONG-TERM WOUND HEALING ARCHITECTURE

Abstract: PURPOSE: To evaluate the B-MICS clear corneal incision architectural features in the longtermusing Anterior Segment OCT.DESIGN: Case series.SETTING: Institute of Ophthalmology, University of Modena, Italy.METHODS: 52 eyes from 33 patients who underwent uneventful B-MICS cataract extraction in theprevious 2-16 months were examined through AS-OCT. Images were analyzed measuring cornealthickness, incision length, incision angle, prevalence of epithelial or endothelial gaping, misalignment,Descemet's membrane detachment and posterior wound retraction (PWR).RESULTS: The mean incision length and incision angle were respectively 1427.91 μm and 31.19° forthe right hand, 1440.63 μm and 31.54° for the left hand. 1474.13 μm and 31.27° in temporal incisions,1394.41 μm and 31.46° in nasal CCIs. PWR was the only architectural feature we found, its prevalencewas 7.10% at 2-3 months, 31.8% at 4-11 months, 33.3% over 12 months. 53% of PWR were in 1.8 mmCCIs, 47% in 1.4 mm CCIs. Mean PWR length was 74.4 ± 23.81 μm, the mean percentage of woundretraction relative to the CCI length was 5.28%. The mean BCVA in eyes with PWR was 9.93/10 ± 0.23.CONCLUSION: B-MICS surgical technique is not related to particular morphological features of CCIs, theenlargement from 1.4 to 1.8 mm of one incision or its construction with either the dominant or thenon-dominant hand is not distinguishable in the long-term wound architecture. The PWR is the onlyarchitectural feature we found in our postoperative intervals, but its prevalence seems substantiallylower than in other surgical techniques.