Retrospective study on outcomes of terminal chop technique of nuclear fragmentation in phacoemulsification and combined surgery: An observational study.

Purpose: Terminal chop, a new technique of nuclear segmentation, has been recently described in literature. The technique is considered to be a safe and effective option.

Methods: We did a retrospective study to evaluate the outcome of terminal chop. Patients operated for terminal chop (phacoemulsification with or without trabeculectomy) from October 2016 to July 2018 were included in the study.

Results: In all, 933 patients were included in the study. The grade of nuclear sclerosis ranged from 2 to 5. All the patients had a significant visual improvement at 1 month postop. Around 3.4% had pseudoexfoliation and 8.89% of the eyes underwent combined surgery. Cumulative dissipated energy showed a proportionate relation with the grade of nucleus. Intraoperative complication rate was 0.08%. Postoperative complication rate was 3.50%.

Conclusion: Terminal chop proved to be a safe, reproducible, and effective technique of nuclear segmentation in different grades of cataract.