Minimal water-jet hydrodissection

Abstract

This paper presents a hydrodissection technique performed with high-speed pulse injection of only 0.1 cc liquid and assess its efficacy, safety, and the level of reduction in posterior capsule rupture complications in phacoemulsification cataract surgery. The kinetic energy of moving objects is directly proportional to the mass and to the square of its velocity. The high energy obtained by high-speed pulse injection of a small amount of liquid ensures highly effective dissection. Since the amount of liquid is very small, the increase in intraocular pressure and the risk of rupture in the posterior capsule due to anterior capsular block are greatly reduced. More importantly, several rotations of the lens material in the capsule with effective hydrodissection facilitate the phases of phacoemulsification and irrigation/aspiration. As most capsule ruptures occur during these phases, the complication rate is thus reduced.