Clinical outcomes of 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy for the management of posterior capsule rupture in phacoemulsification

Aim: This study is to investigate the clinical outcomes of 23-gauge Pars Plana Vitrectomy (23G PPV) for the management of Posterior Capsule Rupture (PCR) with vitreous loss in phacoemulsification immediately. Methods: Clinical data of 1571 cases (2356 eyes) performed phacoemulsification for cataracts only between March 2012 and February 2016 in Chinese Navy General Hospital were analysed retrospectively. The postoperative Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA) and complications of the eyes suffered PCR with vitreous loss in single age-related cataract surgery settled by two treatment methods were compared. In surgery, 75 eyes suffered PCR with vitreous loss, 33 eyes out of 1134 eyes (between March 2012 and February 2014) were adopted the conventional method to settle the PCR with vitreous loss (group A), and 42 eyes out of 1222 eyes (between March 2014 and February 2016) adopted 23G PPV immediately to settle the PCR with vitreous loss (group B). The patients were followed up from 4 months to 48 months after operation, and then the postoperative visual acuity and complications were compared between two groups. Results: The rate of PCR with vitreous loss was 2.91% in group A, and was 3.44% in group B, the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The final average BCVA (the treatment of postoperative complications were finished) was 0.4 +/- 0.32 in conventional method group A, and was 0.6 +/- 0.21 in group B, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). For postoperative complications, there was statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of short-term postoperative complications and long-term severe complications (P<0.01). Conclusion: The postoperative complications were significantly reduced in treatment of PCR with vitreous loss in phacoemulsification by 23G PPV immediately, and the postoperative outcomes were satisfactory.