A comparative study of the effect of phacoemulsification and small-incision cataract surgery corneal endothelial cells

Objective To observe and compare the influence of phacoemulsification and small-incision cataract surgery(SICS) on the endothelial cell count(ECC),the morphology(coefficient of variation and Hexagonality) of corneal endothelial cells(CECs) and the central corneal thickness(CCT),and evaluate the their safety on the CECs. Methods The clinical data of 200 cases of cataract in our hospital between January,2015 and December,2015 were analyzed.The patients were randomly divided into phacoemulsification group(100 cases) and SICS(100 cases),and all the patients were followed up for 6 weeks.The changes of CCT,endothelial cell density(ECD),coefficient of variation(CV) and Hexagonality were compared between the two groups after the operation. Results There was no significant difference in the observed indexes between the two groups before the operation and 6 weeks after the operation.The difference in CCT was statistically significant at 1 weeks after the operation between the two groups(P<0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in ECD loss between the two groups at 1 weeks and 6 weeks after the surgery(P>0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in CV and Hexagonality between the two groups before the operation,and 1 and 6 weeks after the surgery(P>0.05). Conclusion Both phacoemulsification and SICS can cause corneal endothelial cell loss to different degree,but there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the function and morphology of corneal endothelial cell.Preoperative examination,fine and skilled operation,careful observation after the operation are the keys to reduce the loss of CECs in cataract patients.