The Effect of Positional Change During Laparoscopic Surgery on Intraocular Pressure

PURPOSE: The present study proposes to examine the change of IOP in response to the rise of abdominal pressure and in response to position change during laparoscopic surgery. METHODS: The subjects of the present study included 28 patients who had laparoscopic appendectomy and 20 patients who had laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In both groups, the IOP was measured before surgery, after general anesthesia, after the occurrence of pneumoperitoneum, after position change according to operative method, after the removal of pneumoperitoneum and under general anesthesia. RESULTS: When comparing the IOP before and after the occurrence of pneumoperitoneum, the IOP after the occurrence increased by 3.70 +/- 0.96 mm Hg in the appendectomy group and by 3.15 +/- 0.5 mm Hg in the cholecystectomy group. After the occurrence of pneumoperitoneum, the IOP measured in the head-low position was 3.25 +/- 0.16 mm Hg higher than measured in the level position in the appendectomy group, and the IOP measured in the head-high position was 2 +/- 0.12 mm Hg lower than measured in the level position in the cholecystectomy group. Between the 2 groups, there was a significant difference of 6.5 mm Hg in IOP according to the change of head position. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, the occurrence of pneumoperitoneum in laparoscopic surgery increased IOP, and position change according to operative method also changed IOP. In addition, IOP was significantly different between the 2 groups. In order to prevent the patient from being exposed to high IOP for a long period during laparoscopic surgery, keeping the duration of pneumoperitoneum and a head-low position to a minimum may be helpful.

The Effect of Positional Changes during Heavy Weight Lifting on Intraocular Pressure

PURPOSE: To measure intraocular pressure (IOP) as a function of positional changes of the head during heavy weight lifting. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 30 healthy adult males in their twenties to forties. This study investigated their ophthalmic examinations, BMI (body mass index), and 1RM (one repetition maximum) according to the three bench press positions. RESULTS: Before exercising, the IOP was higher in the lowered head position in the decline bench press (18.20+/-2.89 mmHg) than in the incline bench press (14.38+/-2.32 mmHg) (p<0.001). The IOP increased significantly during the bench press exercise, relative to during the pre-exercise (p<0.001). Upon lift down, IOP increased by 3.72+/-1.85 mmHg greater than upon lift up, and mean IOP increased by 2.61+/-1.63 mmHg (p<0.001). In our experiments, IOP increased to a maximum of 22.10+/-2.79 mmHg, measured during lift down in the decline bench press configuration. The BMI and the IOP before exercise showed significant correlation (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IOP increased more during exercise involving a lower head position. Further study is needed to know the extent to which this result is relevant for glaucoma patients and which activities and head positions during exercise may worsen glaucoma. In the meantime, patients with severe glaucoma may need to avoid lifting heavy objects with a lowered head position.

Acellular Dermal Allograft Transplantation in Patients with Scleromalacia After Pterygium Excision

PURPOSE: To report two cases of successful acellular dermal allograft transplantation for scleromalacia following pterygium excision. CASE SUMMARY: A 72-year-old female patient developed scleromalacia on the nasal side of the right eye, and a 79-year-old female patient developed scleromalacia with inflammation on the nasal side of the left eye. They had previous histories of pterigia removal on the sites of scleromalacia. Acellular dermal allograft (AlloDerm(R), Lifecell, NJ, USA) transplantations were done. After the operations, inflammation and pain ameliorated and the grafts survived without any particular complications. CONCLUSIONS: In treating scleromalacia, the transplantation of acellular dermal allografts produced relatively satisfactory results without undesirable problems commonly encountered when using conventional materials.