Efficiency of Pupillary Stretching in Cataract Surgery

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Abstract
Purpose: To assess the efficiency of pupillary stretching with iris hooks in poorly dilatable pupils during phacoemulsification. Methods: Forty eyes with maximal preoperative mydriasis less than 4.5 mm (mean 3.9 mm S.D. 1.0) received bimanual pupillary stretching according to the technique of Miller and Keener (1994). Results: Small pupils were mainly caused by long-term pilocarpine therapy (n=21), posterior synechia (n=11) or diabetic iridopathy (n=7). With multidirectional stretching, the pupil could be enlarged to mean 6.6 mm (S.D. 0.66), lasting throughout phacoemulsification. The effect of stretching was significantly greater in eyes with synechias, but no significant differences in post-operative pupil motility was observed between the three subgroups. Six eyes with pronounced postoperative inflammation responded well to antiinflammatory treatment. Conclusions: Done with routine surgical instruments, bimanual pupillary stretching seems to be an easy, safe and effective procedure for enlarging small pupils by an average of 2.7 mm during phacoemulsification, especially in eyes with posterior synechias.

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