Effect of heparin in the intraocular irrigating solution on postoperative inflammation in the pediatric cataract surgery

PURPOSE: To evaluate the influence of irrigation of the anterior chamber with heparin sodium on postoperative inflammation after pediatric cataract surgery. SETTING: Kartal Training and Research Hospital, First Eye Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey. DESIGN: Randomized prospective double-blind study. METHODS: Fourteen consecutive eyes from 14 patients aged 8.9 ± 5.9 years, (range 3–18 years) (group 1) and 19 eyes from 19 patients aged 9.1 ± 5.2 (range 1.5–18 years) (group 2) underwent pediatric cataract surgery. Five patients in group 1 were between three and five years old. One patient was 1.5 years old and six patients in group 2 were between three and five years old. During the procedure, group 1 received anterior chamber irrigation with heparin sodium (5 IU/cc) and 1 ml of heparin sodium (concentration 10 IU/ml) added to the irrigating balanced salt solution (BSS Plus; Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Fort Worth, TX, USA) while group 2 received BSS without heparin sodium only. Cases aged under three years received anterior vitrectomy in addition to posterior capsulorrhexis. One eye received anterior vitrectomy in group 1 and two eyes received anterior vitrectomy in group 2. Cases with preoperative complications were not included in the study. Early and late postoperative inflammatory complications, including fibrin formation, anterior and posterior synechia, cyclitic and pupillary membrane formation were recorded and compared. RESULTS: Mild anterior chamber reaction was observed in three patients in Group 1, while nine cases in group 2 experienced marked anterior chamber reaction. In four of nine patients from group 2, anterior chamber reaction was severe and resulted in pupillary membrane and synechia despite treatment in the postoperative 7th day, while in all three cases in group 1, reaction disappeared by the 7th day. CONCLUSION: Anterior chamber irrigation with heparin during pediatric cataract surgery may minimize early inflammatory reaction and decrease the number of postoperative inflammatory related complications.