Histological and clinical study of eyes with true exfoliation and a double-ring sign on the anterior lens capsule

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the histological and clinical relation between eyes with true exfoliation (TEX) and a double-ring sign (DRS). Study Design: Retrospective clinical case study. Participants: Twenty-four eyes of 22 patients who underwent cataract surgery at Kochi Medical School Hospital and its affiliated hospitals during the period from April 1994 to September 2007. Methods: Twenty-four anterior lens capsules excised in cataract surgery underwent a histological examination and their clinical backgrounds were investigated. The TEX group consisted of 13 eyes with capsular delamination on the anterior lens capsule confirmed by slit-lamp microscopy before the surgery, and the DRS group consisted of 11 eyes that showed a double-ring sign during capsulorrhexis. Results: Twenty-two eyes underwent phacoemulsification and aspiration after uneventful capsulorrhexis. Two eyes that showed phacodonesis underwent extracapsular cataract extraction. In all specimens the capsular delamina-tion was confirmed. In some specimens from both groups, vesicle spaces were observed in the capsule and the underlying epithelium. In the TEX group, 8 eyes had capsular complications, such as pseudoexfoliation and phacodonesis, and in the DRS group, 2 eyes had phacodonesis ( p = 0.016, student's t test). Conclusions: In spite of different clinical processes leading to capsular delamination, there were not any specific histological differences distinguishing the TEX group from the DRS group. The incidence of capsular complications was significantly higher in the TEX group than in the DRS group.