Application of 25 MHz B-Scan Ultrasonography to Determine the Integrity of the Posterior Capsule in Posterior Polar Cataract

PURPOSE: To report the application of 25 MHz B-scan ultrasonography (MHzB) to determine the integrity of the posterior capsule (PC) in posterior polar cataract (PPC). METHODS: Patients with whom PPC was clinically diagnosed using slit lamp microscopy who underwent 25 MHzB before phacoemulsification were retrospectively reviewed. The status of the PC was determined by 25 MHzB before phacoemulsification and confirmed during cataract surgery. RESULTS: In total, 21 eyes in 14 clinically diagnosed PPC patients were enrolled in this study. Out of 25 MHzB images, 19 PCs were found to be intact, while 2 showed dehiscence before cataract surgery. During phacoemulsification, 17 PCs were observed to be intact, while 4 PCs showed posterior capsule rupture (PCR). These 4 PCR cases included the above 2 eyes, in which preexisting dehiscence was detected by 25 MHzB. The other 2 PCR cases showed high reflectivity between high echoes in posterior opacities and the PC, indicating synechia between the PPC and PC. CONCLUSION: This is the first report to show that 25 MHzB can be used to clearly visualize the status of the PC in PPC. These results, in turn, could be used to select the appropriate treatment and to thereby avoid further complications during PPC surgery.