Phaco chop versus stop and chop nucleotomy techniques: A comparative evaluation

To perform a comparative evaluation of phaco chop versus stop and chop nucleotomy techniques in phacoemulsification. Materials and Methods: 60 patients with uncomplicated senile cataract were included in this study which were randomly divided into phaco chop group (group 1) and stop and chop group. (group 2) with 30 patients each and each group had 10 patients each of nuclear sclerosis grade II, III and IV. The main parameters were effective phaco time, total balanced salt solution used, total phacoemulsification power, intraoperative complications and postoperative visual acuity on day 1, 1st week and 3rd week. Results: The mean effective phacoemulsification time was 30.33±3.77 seconds in group 1 and 31.63 ± 4.22 seconds in group 2. The mean total phacoemulsification power in group 1 was 38.97 ± 4.33% whereas 41.93 ± 7.09 % in group 2. The mean total BSSV used in group 1 was 111.67 ± 13.86 ml whereas 113.17 ± 19.94 ml in group 2. The difference between the two groups was not significant. All patients received BCVA of 6/6 in both the groups after 3 weeks. Conclusion: The stop and chop technique and phaco chop technique are equally efficacious for nuclear cracking in patients in terms of visual acuity but if we compare according to nuclear grading, stop and chop technique requires more phaco power, phaco time and balanced salt solution which can lead to higher endothelial cell loss in grade IV nuclear cataract.