A modified 23-G trocar and cannula system with lateral micropores for drainage of vitreous humor

Abstract

When primary angle-closure glaucoma occurs during an acute attack, routine phacoemulsification is challenging because of the high intra-ocular pressure (IOP) and shallow anterior chamber (AC). To reduce IOP and deepen the AC before phacoemulsification, a portion of the vitreous body is often removed. In this report, we introduce an extended trocar/cannula system with lateral micropores to drain the liquid vitreous before routine phacoemulsification to solve this problem. A modified trocar was used to drain the liquefied vitreous before routine phacoemulsification. We demonstrated that this novel trocar/cannula system is safe and effective for draining liquefied vitreous before routine phacoemulsification. It also facilitates the transition to smooth phacoemulsification.

Keywords

• drainage of vitreous humor
• phacomorphic glaucoma
• primary angle-closure glaucoma