The Risk Factors Contributing To Descemet’S Membrane Detachment Following Cataract Surgery

To evaluate the risk factors contributing to descemet’s membrane detachment (DMD) on one day following cataract surgery.

Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Republic of Korea

In this study, we retrospectively analyzed medical records of 161 eyes of 122 patients who underwent cataract surgery from November 2022 to September 2023 were reviewed. Participants were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of DMD one day after cataract surgery, as evaluated by CASIA2 Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). Two categories of factors were considered: patient-related factors [age, sex, diabetes status, cataract grade, corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), anterior chamber depth (ACD), axial length (AL), central corneal thickness, and keratometry] and iatrogenic factors [cumulative dissipated energy, ultrasound time, ultrasound power, and the angle of the second and third main incision].

Among 161 eyes of 122 patients, DMD occurred in 80 eyes (49.6%) of 69 patients, while DMD did not occur in 81 eyes (50.6%) of 62 patients. As a result of the regression analysis, older age, shallower ACD, shorter AL, higher cumulative dissipated energy value, and a larger angle of the second and third main incisions were associated with DMD, but they were not statistically significant.

It is likely that the lack of statistically significant factors in this study results from the relatively small sample size of included patients. Therefore, a long-term study appears to be necessary.