Robotic reconstructive surgery: The time has arrived

Thank you to the Asian Journal of Urology(AJU)for the honor of allowing me to be the guest editor for this special focus section on robotic urinary tract reconstruction.This topic has been a large focus for me in my career;in my pursuit of knowledge in this new sub-field of urology,I have been so fortunate to have met so many talented surgeons who share a similar passion.The urinary tract spans a large anatomical region,and due to the large variety of conditions that affect it,an endless variety of functional and structural urologic problems can arise.Urologists have always been adept surgeons capable of operating in various anatomical spaces and have embraced technological innovation.Historically,the trend has moved from open surgery to endoscopic treatment;however,many patients with reconstructive needs remain untreated or sub-optimally managed.

Surgical approaches to correct corneal astigmatism at time of cataract surgery: a mini-review

Among refractive errors,astigmatism is the most common optical aberration,where refraction changes in different meridians of the eye.It causes blurred vision at any distance and includes corneal,lenticular,and retinal astigmatism.Cataract surgery used to cause a progressive increase in the pre-exisiting corneal astigmatism because of creating a surgically induced astigmatism,for example,a large size surgery incision.The development of surgical techniques during last decades has made cataract surgery interchange to treat preoperative corneal astigmatism at time of surgery.Nowadays,three surgical approaches can be used.By placing a sutureless clear corneal incision on the steep meridian of the cornea,a preoperative corneal astigmatism less than 1.0 D can be corrected.Single or paired peripheral corneal relaxing incisions(PCRIs)provide 1.0-3.0 D corneal astigmatism correction.PCRIs are typically used for treating 1.0-1.5 D of regular corneal astigmatism,if more than 2.0 D,the risk of overcorrection and irregular astigmatism is increased.When toric intraocular lenses(IOLs)are unavailable in markets,PCRIs are still a reasonable option for patients with up to 3.0 D of pre-existing corneal astigmatism.Toric IOLs implantation can correct 1.0-4.5 D of corneal astigmatism.Several IOLs are approved to correct a high degree of corneal astigmatism with cylinder power up to 12.0 D.These approaches can be used alone or in combination.

Importance of timely diagnosis and intervention in uterine artery pseudoaneurysm caused by hysteroscopic surgery

This manuscript explores the case on the occurrence of uterine artery pseudoaneurysm(UAP)during hysteroscopy endometrial polypectomy and the subsequent successful treatment via uterine artery embolization(UAE).Moreover,we focus on the management and treatment options for UAP in patients of advanced maternal age.A pseudoaneurysm is an extraluminal blood collection with a disrupted flow that communicates with the parent vessel via a defect in the arterial wall.The reported case involved a 48-year-old primiparous woman who developed a UAP after uterine polyp removal.The study enhances the understanding of UAP,a rare but potentially life-threatening condition,by providing a detailed and well-documented account of the comprehensive case presentation,effective use of medical imaging techniques for diagnosis,successful postoperative patient management following UAE,and practical clinical recommendations for clinicians managing similar cases.Overall,this study highlights the importance of considering UAP as a differential diagnosis in patients with abnormal vaginal bleeding following hysteroscopic surgery.Additionally,this manuscript recommends that clinicians with a high index of suspicion for UAP promptly request ultrasonography and computed tomography to facilitate early diagnosis.UAE is suggested as a primary treatment due to its effectiveness and safety,particularly in facilities capable of avoiding hysterectomy.

Laparoscopic vs open surgery for gastric cancer: Assessing time, recovery, complications, and markers

BACKGROUND Gastric cancer(GC)is one of the most common cancers worldwide.Morbidity and mortality have increased in recent years,making it an urgent issue to address.La-paroscopic radical surgery(LRS)is a crucial method for treating patients with GC;However,its influence on tumor markers is still under investigation.The data of 194 patients treated at Chongqing University Cancer Hospital bet-ween January 2018 and January 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.Patients who underwent traditional open surgery and LRS were assigned to the control(n=90)and observation groups(n=104),respectively.Independent sample t-tests andχ2 tests were used to compare the two groups based on clinical efficacy,changes in tumor marker levels after treatment,clinical data,and the incidence of posto-perative complications.To investigate the association between tumor marker levels and clinical efficacy in patients with GC,three-year recurrence rates in the two groups were compared.RESULTS Patients in the observation group had a shorter duration of operation,less in-traoperative blood loss,an earlier postoperative eating time,and a shorter hospital stay than those in the control group(P<0.05).No significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding the number of lymph node dissections(P>0.05).After treatment,the overall response rate in the control group was significantly lower than that in the observation group(P=0.001).Furthermore,after treatment,the levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9,cancer antigen 72-4,carcinoembryonic antigen,and cancer antigen 125 decreased significantly.The observation group also exhibited a significantly lower incidence rate of postoperative complications compared to the control group(P<0.001).Additionally,the two groups did not significantly differ in terms of three-year survival and recurrence rates(P>0.05).CONCLUSION LRS effectively treats early gastric cancer by reducing intraoperative bleeding,length of hospital stays,and postoperative complications.It also significantly lowers tumor marker levels,thus improving the short-term prognosis of the disease.

Surgical and non-surgical risk factors affecting the insufficiency of ileocolic anastomosis after first-time surgery in Crohn’s disease patients

BACKGROUND Crohn's disease(CD)often necessitates surgical intervention,particularly when it manifests in the terminal ileum and ileocecal valve.Despite undergoing radical surgery,a subset of patients experiences recurrent inflammation at the anasto-motic site,necessitating further medical attention.AIM To investigate the risk factors associated with anastomotic insufficiency following ileocecal resection in CD patients.METHODS This study enrolled 77 patients who underwent open ileocolic resection with pri-mary stapled anastomosis.Patients were stratified into two groups:Group I co-mprised individuals without anastomotic insufficiency,while Group II included patients exhibiting advanced anastomotic destruction observed endoscopically or those requiring additional surgery during the follow-up period.Surgical and non-surgical factors potentially influencing anastomotic failure were evaluated in both cohorts.RESULTS Anastomotic insufficiency was detected in 12 patients(15.6%),with a mean time interval of 30 months between the initial surgery and recurrence.The predomi-nant reasons for re-intervention included stenosis and excessive perianastomotic lesions.Factors associated with a heightened risk of anastomotic failure encompassed prolonged postoperative obstruction,anastomotic bleeding,and clinically confirmed micro-leakage.Additionally,patients in Group II exhibited preoperative malnutrition and early recurrence of symptoms related to CD.CONCLUSION Successful surgical outcomes hinge on the attainment of a fully functional anastomosis,optimal metabolic status,and clinical remission of the underlying disease.Vigilant endoscopic surveillance following primary resection facilitates the timely identification of anastomotic failure,thereby enabling noninvasive interventions.

Exploring ideal operative time for best outcomes in gastric cancer surgery:A multi-institutional study based on KLASS-07 database

Objective:While a rushed operation can omit essential procedures,prolonged operative time results in higher morbidity.Nevertheless,the optimal operative time range remains uncertain.This study aimed to estimate the ideal operative time range and evaluate its applicability in laparoscopic cancer surgery.Methods:A prospectively collected multicenter database of 397 patients who underwent laparoscopic distal gastrectomy were retrospectively reviewed.The ideal operative time range was statistically calculated by separately analyzing the operative time of uneventful surgeries.Finally,intraoperative and postoperative outcomes were compared among the shorter,ideal,and longer operative time groups.Results:The statistically calculated ideal operative time was 135.4-165.4 min.The longer operative time(LOT)group had a lower rate of uneventful,perfect surgery than the ideal or shorter operative time(IOT/SOT)group(2.8%vs.8.8%and 2.2%vs.13.4%,all P<0.05).Longer operative time increased bleeding,postoperative morbidities,and delayed diet and discharge(all P<0.05).Particularly,an uneventful,perfect surgery could not be achieved when the operative time exceeded 240 min.Regardless of ideal time range,SOT group achieved the highest percentage of uneventful surgery(13.4%),which was possible by surgeon's ability to retrieve a higher number of lymph nodes and perform≥150 gastrectomies annually.Conclusions:Operative time longer than the ideal time range(especially≥240 min)should be avoided.If the essential operative procedure were faithfully conducted without compromising oncological safety,an operative time shorter than the ideal range leaded to a better prognosis.Efforts to minimize operative time should be attempted with sufficient surgical experience.

Time of surgery and surgeon level in supracondylar humerus fractures in pediatric patients:A retrospective study

BACKGROUND Supracondylar humerus fractures account for more than 60%of all elbow fractures and about 1/5 of all pediatric fractures.Unfortunately,these fractures can be associated with risk of complications including neurovascular injuries,malunions and limb deformities.Controversy exists regarding the effect of time of surgical intervention and/or level of surgeon performing the surgery on outcome of these fractures.AIM To determine whether time of surgical intervention and/or surgeon level influence the outcomes of surgically managed pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures.METHODS We retrospectively studied 155 pediatric patients presenting with a supracondylar humerus fracture in a level 1 trauma center from January 2006 to December 2019.The data extracted included demographic data,fracture characteristics,surgical data,and follow-up outcomes.The collected data was analyzed and P values of<0.05 were considered statistically significant.RESULTS Of the cohort,11%of patients had documented post-operative complications,of which the majority occurred in surgeries performed after day time working hours and in fractures requiring open reduction.While the lowest complication rate was found in surgeries performed by pediatric orthopaedic surgeons,this did not reach statistical significance.CONCLUSION In pediatric patients undergoing surgery for supracondylar fractures,we found a higher complication rate when surgeries were not performed during working hours.Surgeon level and training had no significant effect on the risk of post-operative complications.

Preoperative Fasting of More Than 14 Hours Increases the Risk of Time-to-Death after Cardiothoracic Surgery in Children:A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background:Prolonged preoperative fasting can cause hypoglycemia,hyperglycemia,and intravascular volume depletion in children.We aimed to examine whether prolonged preoperative fasting is associated with in-hospital mortality and other morbidities in pediatric cardiothoracic surgery.Methods:This retrospective cohort study included children aged 0–3 years who underwent cardiac surgery between July 2014 and October 2020.The patient demographic data,surgery-related and anesthesia-related factors,and postoperative outcomes,including hypoglycemia,hyperglycemia,sepsis,length of intensive care unit stay,and in-hospital mortality,were recorded.The main exposure and outcome variables were prolonged fasting and time-to-death after surgery,respectively.The associations between prolonged fasting and perioperative death were analyzed using multivariate Cox regression analysis.Results:In total,402 patients were recruited.The incidence of perioperative mortality was 21%(85/402).The proportion of perioperative deaths was significantly higher in the prolonged fasting group than that in the normal fasting group.The proportion of postoperative bacteremia and hypoglycemia was significantly higher in the very prolonged fasting group than that in the prolonged fasting group.After adjusting for preoperative conditions and anesthesia-and surgery-related factors,preoperative prolonged fasting>14.4 h was significantly associated with time-to-death(HR[95%CI]:2.2[1.2,3.9],p=0.036).The 30-day survival rates of fasting time>14.4 h,9.25–14.4 h,and<9.25 h were 0.67(0.55,0.81),0.79(0.72,0.87),and 0.85(0.79,0.91),respectively.Conclusions:Preoperative fasting of more than 14.4 h was associated with a two-fold increase in the hazard rate of time-to-death in children who underwent cardiac surgery.

Explore the clinical nursing path of daytime laparoscopic cholecystectomy under the guidance of enhanced recovery after surgery

Objective:To explore the safety and effectiveness nursing of 12 h discharged daytime laparoscopic cholecystectomy guided by enhanced recovery after surgery(ERAS)concept.Methods:Included 180 cases from the 12 h discharged daytime laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients which assessmended and guided by ERAS,with the 180 case of routine cholecystectomy patients as control group at the same time.To quantitatively analyze the related indexes of perioperative period and ERAS concept,and evaluate the clinical safety,and effectiveness.Results:It displayed no significant differences in average age,gender distribution,duration of gallbladder related disease and distribution of clinical symptoms between the two groups(P>0.05).There were also no significant differences in preoperative smoking history,hypertension history,cardio-cerebrovascular history,abdominal operation history and disease composition ratio between the two groups(P>0.05).None of the patients had conversion to laparotomy.Compared with the conventional surgery group,there were no significant differences in the average amount of intraoperative blood loss,operation time and muscle strength before returning to the ward in patients with ERAS guided day surgery(P>0.05).When compared with the conventional surgery group,ERAS guided day surgery group had no significant difference in muscle strength between the two groups when going under the ground(t=1.64,P=0.082).Also,the level of peripheral white blood cells in patients with ERAS guided day surgery group was not significantly increased at 6 h after surgery.Meanwhile,liver function related indexes,transaminase,total bilirubin,indirect bilirubin were not significantly abnormal(P>0.05).Conclusion:12 h daytime laparoscopic cholecystectomy guided by ERAS concept can improve the clinical efficacy of patients with cholecystolithiasis,which is safe and feasible.

Current trends in three-dimensional visualization and real-time navigation as well as robot-assisted technologies in hepatobiliary surgery

With the continuous development of digital medicine,minimally invasive precision and safety have become the primary development trends in hepatobiliary surgery.Due to the specificity and complexity of hepatobiliary surgery,traditional preoperative imaging techniques such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging cannot meet the need for identification of fine anatomical regions.Imaging-based three-dimensional(3D)reconstruction,virtual simulation of surgery and 3D printing optimize the surgical plan through preoperative assessment,improving the controllability and safety of intraoperative operations,and in difficult-to-reach areas of the posterior and superior liver,assistive robots reproduce the surgeon’s natural movements with stable cameras,reducing natural vibrations.Electromagnetic navigation in abdominal surgery solves the problem of conventional surgery still relying on direct visual observation or preoperative image assessment.We summarize and compare these recent trends in digital medical solutions for the future development and refinement of digital medicine in hepatobiliary surgery.

Indocyanine green:The guide to safer and more effective surgery

In this editorial we comment on the article by Kalayarasan and co-workers published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery.The authors present an interesting review on the use of indocyanine green fluo-rescence in different aspects of abdominal surgery.They also highlight future perspectives of the use of indocyanine green in mini-invasive surgery.Indo-cyanine green,used for fluorescence imaging,has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and is safe for use in humans.It can be administered in-travenously or intra-arterially.Since its advent,there have been several advance-ments in the applications of indocyanine green,especially in the surgical field,such as intraoperative mapping and biopsy of sentinel lymph node,measurement of hepatic function prior to resection,in neurosurgical cases to detect vascular anomalies,in cardiovascular cases for patency and assessment of vascular ab-normalities,in predicting healing following amputations,in helping visualization of hepatobiliary anatomy and blood vessels,in reconstructive surgery,to assess flap viability and for the evaluation of tissue perfusion following major trauma and burns.For these reasons,the intraoperative use of indocyanine green has become common in a variety of surgical specialties and transplant surgery.Co-lorectal surgery has just lately begun to adopt this technique,particularly for perfusion visualization to prevent anastomotic leakage.The regular use of in-docyanine green coupled with fluorescence angiography has recently been pro-posed as a feasible tool to help improve patient outcomes.Using the best available data,it has been shown that routine use of indocyanine green in colorectal surgery reduces the rates of anastomotic leak.The use of indocyanine green is proven to be safe,feasible,and effective in both elective and emergency scenarios.However,additional robust evidence from larger-scale,high-quality studies is essential before incorporating indocyanine green guided surgery into standard practice.

Advancements in Time Modeling: Relationalism, Divisional Structures, and Geometry

This article broadens terminology and approaches that continue to advance time modelling within a relationalist framework. Time is modeled as a single dimension, flowing continuously through independent privileged points. Introduced as absolute point-time, abstract continuous time is a backdrop for concrete relational-based time that is finite and discrete, bound to the limits of a real-world system. We discuss how discrete signals at a point are used to temporally anchor zero-temporal points [t = 0] in linear time. Object-oriented temporal line elements, flanked by temporal point elements, have a proportional geometric identity quantifiable by a standard unit system and can be mapped on a natural number line. Durations, line elements, are divisible into ordered unit ratio elements using ancient timekeeping formulas. The divisional structure provides temporal classes for rotational (Rt24t) and orbital (Rt18) sample periods, as well as a more general temporal class (Rt12) applicable to either sample or frame periods. We introduce notation for additive cyclic counts of sample periods, including divisional units, for calendar-like formatting. For system modeling, unit structures with dihedral symmetry, group order, and numerical order are shown to be applicable to Euclidean modelling. We introduce new functions for bijective and non-bijective mapping, modular arithmetic for cyclic-based time counts, and a novel formula relating to a subgroup of Pythagorean triples, preserving dihedral n-polygon symmetries. This article presents a new approach to model time in a relationalistic framework.

Is it the time to reconsider the choice of valves for cardiac surgery： mechanical or bioprosthetic？

Valvular heart disease is a pathologic process involving one or more of the four valves(aortic,pulmonary,mitral and tricuspid)of the heart typified by stenosis or regurgitation and leading to patient symptoms.The most common causes are tissue degeneration,rheumatic fever and congenital heart diseases.Aortic valve replacement(AVR)using either mechanical or bioprosthetic(tissue)valves via open-heart surgical

Real-time fluorescence image-guided gastrointestinal oncologic surgery:Towards a new era

Technological improvements are crucial in the evolution of surgery.Real-time fluorescence-guided surgery(FGS)has spread worldwide,mainly because of its usefulness during the intraoperative decision-making processes.The success of any gastrointestinal oncologic resection is based on the anatomical identification of the primary tumor and its regional lymph nodes.FGS allows also to evaluate the blood perfusion at the gastrointestinal stumps after colorectal or esophageal resections.Therefore,a reduction on the anastomotic leak rates has been postulated as one of the foreseeable benefits provided by the use of FGS in these procedures.Although the use of fluorescence in lymph node detection was initially described in breast cancer surgery,the technique is currently applied in gastric or splenic flexure cancers,as they both present complex and variable lymphatic drainages.FGS allows also to perform intraoperative lymphograms or sentinel lymph node biopsies.New applications of FGS are being developed to assist in the detection of peritoneal metastases or in the evaluation of the tumor resection margins.The present review aims to provide a general overview of the current status of real-time FGS in gastrointestinal oncologic surgery.We put a special focus on the different applications of FGS,discussing the main findings and limitations found in the contemporary literature and also the promising near future applications.

New direction for surgery:Super minimally invasive surgery

The top goal of modern medicine is treating disease without destroying organ structures and making patients as healthy as they were before their sickness.Minimally invasive surgery(MIS)has dominated the surgical realm because of its lesser invasiveness.However,changes in anatomical structures of the body and reconstruction of internal organs or different organs are common after traditional surgery or MIS,decreasing the quality of life of patients post-operation.Thus,I propose a new treatment mode,super MIS(SMIS),which is defined as“curing a disease or lesion which used to be treated by MIS while preserving the integrity of the organs”.In this study,I describe the origin,definition,operative channels,advantages,and future perspectives of SMIS.

Cytoreductive surgery after recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer and at other timepoints

In this descriptive review we look at the role of surgery for advanced ovarian cancer at other timepoints apart from the initial cytoreduction for front-line therapy or interval cytoreductive surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The chief surgical problem to face after primary treatment is recurrent ovarian cancer. Of far more marginal concern are the second-look surgical procedures or the palliative efforts intended to resolve the patient's symptoms with no curative intent. The role of surgery in recurrent ovarian cancer remains poorly defi ned. Current data, albeit from non-randomized studies, nevertheless clearly support surgical cytoreduction in selected patients, a rarely curative expedient that invariably yields a marked survival advantage over chemotherapy alone. Despite these fi ndings, some consider it too early to adopt secondary cytoreduction as the standard care for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer and a randomized study is needed. Two ongoing randomized trials(Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynkologische Onkologie-Desktop Ⅲ and Gynecologic Oncology Group 213) intend to verify the role of secondary cytoreduction for platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer compared with chemotherapy considered as standard care for these patients. We await the results of these two trials for a defi nitive answer to the matter.

Application of a new daytime surgery and same-day discharge mode in cataract clinic

Background:This study aims to investigate the application and effect of a new daytime surgery and same-day discharge mode in cataract clinic.Methods:Two hundred patients with cataract intended to undertake daytime surgery from August 2019 to January 2020 in the Cataract department were enrolled for the study.Among them,100 patients from January 2020 with the new daytime surgery and same-day discharge were the experimental group.While the other 100 patients without the designated set-up from August 2019 worked as a control group.The length and cost of hospitalization,the length of waiting for the elevator,the patient satisfaction,and the awareness rate of health education were evaluated.Results:After application of the new daytime surgery and same-day discharge set-up,the patients’satisfaction rate increased from 91%to 95%,and the rate of awareness of health education increased from 87%to 90%,the difference was statistically significant(χ^(2)=0.61,P=0.04 andχ^(2)=0.22,P=0.01).The length of hospitalization,hospitalization costs and waiting time for elevators were much reduced than those without this set-up.Conclusions:The application of the cataract daytime surgery and same-day discharge set-up can effectively alleviate the overcrowding of the ward environment,reduce the workload of medical staff,and improve patient satisfaction.Therefore,the daytime surgery and same-day discharge set-up has wide clinical applications.

Artificial intelligence based real-time microcirculation analysis system for laparoscopic colorectal surgery

BACKGROUND Colonic perfusion status can be assessed easily by indocyanine green(ICG)angiography to predict ischemia related anastomotic complications during laparoscopic colorectal surgery.Recently,various parameter-based perfusion analysis have been studied for quantitative evaluation,but the analysis results differ depending on the use of quantitative parameters due to differences in vascular anatomical structure.Therefore,it can help improve the accuracy and consistency by artificial intelligence(AI)based real-time analysis microperfusion(AIRAM).AIM To evaluate the feasibility of AIRAM to predict the risk of anastomotic complication in the patient with laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery.METHODS The ICG curve was extracted from the region of interest(ROI)set in the ICG fluorescence video of the laparoscopic colorectal surgery.Pre-processing was performed to reduce AI performance degradation caused by external environment such as background,light source reflection,and camera shaking using MATLAB 2019 on an I7-8700k Intel central processing unit(CPU)PC.AI learning and evaluation were performed by dividing into a training patient group(n=50)and a test patient group(n=15).Training ICG curve data sets were classified and machine learned into 25 ICG curve patterns using a self-organizing map(SOM)network.The predictive reliability of anastomotic complications in a trained SOM network is verified using test set.RESULTS AI-based risk and the conventional quantitative parameters including T1/2max,time ratio(TR),and rising slope(RS)were consistent when colonic perfusion was favorable as steep increasing ICG curve pattern.When the ICG graph pattern showed stepped rise,the accuracy of conventional quantitative parameters decreased,but the AI-based classification maintained accuracy consistently.The receiver operating characteristic curves for conventional parameters and AI-based classification were comparable for predicting the anastomotic complication risks.Statistical performance verifications were improved in the AI-based analysis.AI analysis was evaluated as the most accurate parameter to predict the risk of anastomotic complications.The F1 score of the AI-based method increased by 31% for T1/2max,8% for TR,and 8% for RS.The processing time of AIRAM was measured as 48.03 s,which was suitable for real-time processing.CONCLUSION In conclusion,AI-based real-time microcirculation analysis had more accurate and consistent performance than the conventional parameter-based method.

Healing time of incision infection after hepatobiliary surgery treated by needle-free incision suture closure

AIM: To compare the effectiveness of needle-free incision suture closure with butterfly tape and traditional secondary suturing techniques in treating incision infection. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-three patients with incision infection following hepatobiliary surgery at a tertiary hospital were randomly divided into three groups: 90 patients were closed by needle-free incision suture closure, which gradually closed the incision wound when drainage from incision infection was visibly decreased and healthy granulation tissues had grown; 79 patients were closed by butterfly bandage; another 54 patients were closed by traditional secondary suturing technique. Healing time of incision infection was calculated from the beginning of dressing change to the healing of the incision. RESULTS: Healing time in the needle-free incision suture closure group (24.2 +/- 7.2 d) was significantly shorter than that in the butterfly bandage group (33.3 +/- 11.2 d) and the traditional secondary suturing group (36.2 +/- 15.3 d) (P < 0.05). Healing time in the butterfly bandage group appeared to be slightly shorter than that in the secondary suture group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Needle-free incision suture closure could gradually close the infection wound at the same time of drainage and dressing change, thereby shortening the healing time. (C) 2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of femtosecond laser-assisted steepest-meridian clear corneal incisions on preexisting corneal regular astigmatism at the time of cataract surgery

AIM:To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of femtosecond laser-assisted steepest-meridian clear corneal incisions for correcting preexisting corneal astigmatism performed at the time of cataract surgery.METHODS:This prospective case series study comprised consecutive age-related cataract patients with corneal regular astigmatism(range:+0.75 to+2.50 D)who had femtosecond laser-assisted steepest-meridian clear corneal incisions(single or paired).Corneal astigmatism was performed with the Pentacam preoperatively and 3 mo postoperatively.Total corneal astigmatism and steepestmeridian measured in the 3-mm central zone were used to guide the location,size and number of clear corneal incision.The vector analysis of astigmatic change was performed using the Alpins method.RESULTS:Totally 138 eyes of 138 patients were included.The mean preoperative corneal astigmatism was 1.31±0.41 D,and was significantly reduced to 0.69±0.34 D(equivalent to difference vector)after surgery(P<0.01).The surgically-induced astigmatism was 1.02±0.54 D.The correction index(ratio of target induced astigmatism and surgically-induced astigmatism:0.72±0.36)as well as the magnitude of error(difference between surgically-induced astigmatism and target induced astigmatism:-0.29±0.51)represented a slight under correction.For angle of error,the arithmetic mean was 1.11±13.70,indicating no significant systematic alignment errors.CONCLUSION:Femtosecond-assisted steepest-meridian clear corneal incision is a fast,customizable,adjustable,precise,and safe technique for the reduction of low to moderate corneal astigmatism during cataract surgery.