Comparison of flap thickness reproducibility using microkeratomes with a second motor for advancement

Danielle Miranda, Scott D. Smith, Ronald R. Krueger

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

43 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: To compare flap thickness and reproducibility of four different types of microkeratomes during LASIK. Design: Retrospective, nonrandomized, comparative case series. Participants: Four hundred ninety consecutive eyes underwent LASIK and were evaluated by measuring the central flap thickness by subtractive pachymetry. Methods: All flaps were created using the Bausch & Lomb (Miami, FL) Hansatome 180 head, the Alcon (Fort Worth, TX) Summit Krumeich Barraquer Microkeratome 160 head, the Moria (Antony, France) Carriazo Barraquer (CB) 130 head, or the Moria M2 110 head. Results: The flap thickness measurements differed according to the microkeratome used and were 131±28 μm in 41 eyes (8.4%) with the Bausch & Lomb Hansatome 180 head, 162±21 μm in 127 eyes (25.9%) with the Alcon Summit Krumeich Barraquer Microkeratome (SKBM) 160 head, 157±40 μm in 65 eyes (13.3%) with the Moria CB 130 head, and 134±23 μm in 257 eyes (52.4%) with the Moria M2 110 head. The central flap thickness with the SKBM and Moria M2 was statistically significantly more reproducible than with the Moria CB (P< 0.0005). There is no correlation between flap thickness reproducibility and age, corneal thickness, or corneal keratometric values. However, considering all the microkeratomes, female gender had statistically significantly more variability than male gender (P<0.02). Conclusions: Based on these results, the greatest predictability of flap thickness was seen with the SKBM and Moria M2 microkeratomes, which both use a second motor for advancement. The greatest variability, noted with the Moria CB, was likely due to the manual translation feature and places further importance on the safety of the second motor and automation when performing LASIK.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1931-1934
Number of pages4
JournalOphthalmology
Volume110
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2003
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ophthalmology

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