Postoperative ultrasound biomicroscopic evaluation of the haptic position in transsclerally sutured posterior-chamber lenses as compared with the intraoperative endoscopic position.

Our objective was to evaluate the long-term stability of transsclerally sutured posterior-chamber lens (PCL) haptics. A total of 22 patients (26 eyes) were examined 29-50 months postoperatively by ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) to determine the exact haptic position in relation to the iris base, ciliary sulcus, pars plicata, and pars plana. In all eyes, endoscopy had been performed intraoperatively immediately after PCL insertion and suture fixation of the haptic. We could locate all 52 haptics by UBM. Intraoperative haptic localization was compared with the postoperative position. UBM confirmed the endoscopic position in 81% of cases; 19% of the haptics showed a clinically undetectable dislocation. Secondary dislocations were analyzed in correlation with the intraoperative endoscopic transscleral suture penetration site and the primary position of the two haptics of one PCL. Loosening of the fixation suture together with primary asymmetry of the two haptics of one PCL apparently contributes to a slight dislocation.