Clinical Ophthalmology (May 2024)

Phaco-Chop versus Divide-and-Conquer in Patients Who Underwent Cataract Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  • Guedes J,
  • Pereira SF,
  • Amaral DC,
  • Hespanhol LC,
  • Faneli AC,
  • Oliveira RDC,
  • Mora-Paez DJ,
  • Fontes BM

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 18
pp. 1535 – 1546

Abstract

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Jaime Guedes,1,2 Sacha Fernandes Pereira,3 Dillan Cunha Amaral,4 Larissa C Hespanhol,5 Adriano Cypriano Faneli,6 Ricardo Danilo Chagas Oliveira,2,7 Denisse J Mora-Paez,1 Bruno M Fontes2 1Glaucoma Research Center, Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 2Ophthalmology, Opty Group, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; 3Faculty of Medical Sciences of Paraiba, AFYA, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil; 4Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; 5Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil; 6Faculty of Medicine, Bahiana School of Public Health and Medicine, Salvador, BA, Brazil; 7Ophthalmology, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, BA, BrazilCorrespondence: Jaime Guedes, Email [email protected]: Cataract surgery is one of the most frequently performed eye surgeries worldwide, and among several techniques, phacoemulsification has become the standard of care due to its safety and efficiency. We evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of two phacoemulsification techniques: phaco-chop and divide-and-conquer.Methods: PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science databases were queried for randomized controlled trial (RCT), prospective and retrospective studies that compared the phaco-chop technique over the divide-and-conquer technique and reported the outcomes of (1) Endothelial cell count change (ECC); (2) Ultrasound time (UST); (3) Cumulated dissipated energy (CDE); (4) Surgery time; and (5) Phacoemulsification time (PT). Heterogeneity was examined with I2 statistics. A random-effects model was used for outcomes with high heterogeneity.Results: Nine final studies, (6 prospective RCTs and 3 observational), comprising 837 patients undergoing phacoemulsification. 435 (51.9%) underwent the phaco-chop technique, and 405 (48.1%) underwent divide-and-conquer. Overall, the phaco-chop technique was associated with several advantages: a significant difference in ECC change postoperatively (Mean Difference [MD] − 221.67 Cell/mm2; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] − 401.68 to − 41.66; p < 0.02; I2=73%); a shorter UST (MD − 51.16 sec; 95% CI − 99.4 to − 2.79; p = 0.04; I2=98%); reduced CDE (MD − 8.68 units; 95% CI − 12.76 to − 4.60; p < 0.01; I2=84%); a lower PT (MD − 55.09 sec; 95% CI − 99.29 to − 12.90; p = 0.01; I2=100). There were no significant differences in surgery time (MD − 3.86 min; 95% CI − 9.55 to 1.83; p = 0.18; I2=99%).Conclusion: The phaco-chop technique proved to cause fewer hazards to the corneal endothelium, with less delivered intraocular ultrasound energy when compared to the divide-and-conquer technique.Keywords: meta-analysis, systematic review, cataract, cataract extraction, phaco-chop, divide-and-conquer, phacoemulsification

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