Purpose: To evaluate the effects of micropulse, long pulse, and continuous ultrasound on transverse ultrasound using Abbott Medical Optics' (AMO) WhiteStar Signature Pro with the Ellips FX handpiece.
Design: In vitro laboratory study.
Methods: This study was conducted at the John A. Moran Eye Center Laboratory, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Porcine lenses were hardened in formalin for 2 hours and equilibrated in basic salt solution (BSS) over a 24-hour period. The lenses were then cubed in 2.0 × 2.0-mm pieces. These pieces were stored in BSS until the time of experimentation. The AMO WhiteStar Signature Pro machine (Abbott Medical Optics) with the Ellips FX handpiece and a 0.9-mm bent Dewey tip with a 30-degree bevel (Microsurgical Technology Inc) were used for phacoemulsification. Three runs of 20 lenses each were performed, measuring efficiency and chatter. Transverse ultrasound varied in the 3 runs and included continuous, 6 ms on/off micropulse, and 50 ms on/off long pulse.
Results: Micropulse was more efficient than long pulse by 43% (P = .00003) and continuous by 42% (P = .000387). There were also less chatter events with micropulse than with long-pulse and continuous ultrasound. However, this difference did not reach significance.
Conclusion: The 6 ms on and 6 ms off micropulse transverse 3-dimensional ultrasound is more efficient and produces fewer chatter events than both long-pulse and continuous ultrasound.
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