Novel forceps design improves iris hook placement
New forceps designed by Lawrence Goldberg, MD, improve the technique for iris hook placement due to two-point fixation.
Take-home message: New forceps designed by Lawrence Goldberg, MD, improve the technique for iris hook placement due to two-point fixation.
Reviewed by Lawrence Goldberg, MD
Saint Petersburg, FL-Flexible iris hooks, used as adjunctive devices during cataract surgery in eyes that have poorly dilating pupils and/or floppy iris syndrome, occupy a narrow but important niche in the armamentarium of surgical accessories.
However, that does not rule out the possibility of improvement in the technique of their placement.
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Lawrence Goldberg, MD, who practices in Saint Petersburg, FL, has designed an instrument (Goldberg Iris Hook Forceps, Rhein Medical) featuring two-point fixation to improve surgical maneuverability.
Physicians typically use tying forceps to insert iris hooks, but in Dr. Goldberg’s experience, it is difficult to grasp the hooks and keep them stable. This is primarily due to one-point fixation and lack of a gripping surface on currently available tying forceps.
Two-point fixation
The new forceps grasps the hook around the adjustment ring at two points on either side of the shaft.
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“You can hold it and manipulate it quite easily because of two-point fixation,” he said.
The instrument is typically able to grasp the hook directly from its holding case. However, a standard tying forceps may be used to hold or adjust the hook for initial placement in the jaws of the new forceps, Dr. Goldberg said.
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Usually a standard tying forceps is only needed to adjust the hook’s silicone sleeve so the pupil enlarges to the desired size, while the end of the hook is held immobile by the iris hook tool’s distal jaw.
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