Eradication of Posterior Capsule Opacification: Documentation of a Marked Decrease in Nd:YAG Laser Posterior Capsulotomy Rates Noted in an Analysis of 5416 Pseudophakic Human Eyes Obtained Postmortem.

OBJECTIVE: (1) To report the neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser posterior capsulotomy rate (%) of eight rigid and foldable intraocular lens (IOL) designs in a series of 5416 pseudophakic human eyes obtained postmortem, accessioned in our center between January 1988 and January 2000. (2) To identify factors that are instrumental in reducing the incidence of posterior capsule opacification, (PCO, secondary cataract) and hence the need for Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy. DESIGN: Comparative autopsy tissue analysis. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 5416 globes with posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC-IOLs) obtained postmortem received from Lions Eye Banks between 1988 and 2000. METHODS: Miyake-Apple posterior photographic technique. Special reference was given to the presence or absence of Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy orifice on the posterior capsule of each eye. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy rate (%) as of January 2000 was documented. In addition, the Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy rate for each lens was plotted on a monthly basis for the same period, creating a computerized trend or "timeline" for each IOL style. RESULTS: Relatively high Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy rates ranging from 20.3% to 33.4% were noted with four relatively older designs (high incidence of implantation between 1988 and the early 1990s). Four modern foldable lOLs manufactured from silicone and acrylic materials had significantly lower Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy rates ranging from 0.9% (Alcon Acrysof) to 17.1%. The difference in Nd:YAG rates among the eight IOL designs was found to be significant (P < 0.0001, chi-square test). Comparing foldable versus rigid designs, the foldable IOLs were associated with a much lower Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy rate (14.1% vs. 31.1%). CONCLUSIONS: By use of the six factors regarding surgical technique and IOL choice described in this article, we strongly believe that the overall incidence of PCO and hence the incidence of Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy is now rapidly decreasing from rates as high as 50% in the 1980s to early 1990s. Surgical tools and IOLs are now available to bring these rates down to single digits. Careful application and use of these tools by surgeons can genuinely lead in the direction of virtual eradication of secondary cataract, the second most common cause of visual loss worldwide.

Clinical outcomes of catheter substrate ablation for high-risk patients with atrial fibrillation.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term clinical outcomes of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) substrate for high-risk patients with AF. BACKGROUND: The benefits of catheter ablation for high-risk AF patients with respect to mortality and stroke reductions remain unclear. METHODS: We performed AF substrate ablation guided by complex fractionated atrial electrogram (CFAE) mapping in 674 high-risk AF patients. The clinical end points were sinus rhythm (SR), death, stroke, or bleeding. Of these 674 patients, 635 were available for follow-up and made up the study cohort. The patients were relatively old (mean age 67 +/- 12 years) and 129 had an ejection fraction (EF) <40%. RESULTS: After the mean follow-up period of 836 +/- 605 days, 517 were in SR (81.4%). There were 15 deaths among the patients who stayed in SR compared with 14 deaths among those who remained in AF (5-year survival rate, 92% vs. 64%, respectively; p < 0.0001). SR was the most important independent favorable parameter for survival (hazard ratio 0.14, 95% confidence interval 0.06 to 0.36, p < 0.0001), whereas old age was unfavorable. Warfarin therapy was discontinued in 434 of the 517 patients in SR post-ablation (84%) whose annual stroke rate was only 0.4% compared with 2% in those with continuing warfarin treatment (p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: CFAE-targeted ablation of AF is effective in maintaining SR in selected high-risk AF patients and might allow patients to stop warfarin therapy. SR after AF ablation is a marker of relatively low mortality and stroke risk. Our findings support conducting further randomized studies to determine whether AF ablation is associated with mortality and/or stroke reduction.

Removal times for a dispersive and a cohesive ophthalmic viscosurgical device correlated with intraocular lens material.

PURPOSE: To investigate the removal times of ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs) with different intraocular lens (IOL) designs and materials. SETTING: Center for Research on Ocular Therapeutics and Biodevices, Department of Ophthalmology, Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA, and Heidelberg IOL & Refractive Surgery Research Group, Department of Ophthalmology, Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. METHODS: In a standardized laboratory setup, the Miyake-Apple posterior view video technique was used to evaluate OVD removal from capsular bags in human autopsy eyes implanted with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), silicone, and acrylic IOLs. The cohesive OVD ProVisc (sodium hyaluronate 1.0%) and the dispersive OVD Viscoat (sodium hyaluronate 3.0% and chondroitin sulfate 4.0%) were stained with fluorescein for better visualization. The open-sky preparation and an Alcon Series 20000 Legacy phaco machine with a flow rate of 25 mL/min and a vacuum setting of +500 mm Hg (maximum irrigation/aspiration) were used. The time needed for complete removal of the cohesive and dispersive OVDs with each IOL type was measured and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: The mean removal times for both OVDs were as follows: Alcon MZ60BD PMMA IOL-25.0 seconds +/- 3.7 (SD) (Viscoat), 15.9 +/- 6.9 seconds (ProVisc); Alcon AcrySof MA60BM IOL-35.5 +/- 10.0 seconds (Viscoat), 25.6 +/- 4.7 seconds (ProVisc); Chiron/Bausch & Lomb C1043 silicone IOL-46.5 +/- 10.5 seconds (Viscoat), 17.3 +/- 2.1 seconds (ProVisc); AMO SI-30 silicone IOL-33.5 +/- 3.1 seconds (Viscoat), 15.3 +/- 6.3 seconds (ProVisc); and Pharmacia 912 silicone IOL-18.3 +/- 5.8 seconds (Viscoat), 19.8 +/- 4.3 seconds (ProVisc). CONCLUSIONS: Differences in OVD removal times were detected. The removal time for the cohesive OVD correlated with the IOL material. Overall, the time needed for complete removal was significantly longer for the dispersive OVD than for the cohesive OVD.