180-Degree Nuclear Flip: A Safety and Efficacy Assessment of a Phacoemulsification Technique for Cataract Nuclei of Grade III and Below.

Authors

Ruibo Chen, Tao Xu, Guorong Shi, Chunyan Xi, Mengqing Yin, Kai Hu, Bing Chen

Published in

Ophthalmology and therapy. Jul 16, 2026. Epub Jul 16, 2026.

Abstract

This prospective randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a 180° nuclear flip technique in phacoemulsification cataract surgery, comparing it with the traditional endocapsular approach for cataracts of Emery-Little grade III and below.
A total of 142 patients were randomly assigned to either the 180° nuclear flip group (n = 71) or the conventional endocapsular phacoemulsification group (n = 71). The primary outcomes measured were total phacoemulsification time (TPT) and effective phacoemulsification time (EPT). Secondary outcomes were the incidence of postoperative corneal endothelial cell loss (ECL) at 7 and 28 days, as well as intraoperative complications including posterior capsule rupture (PCR).
The mean TPT was substantially shorter in the flip group (43.75 ± 17.16 s) compared to the conventional group (58.45 ± 22.27 s) (P < 0.0001). Similarly, the mean EPT was also significantly reduced in the flip group (11.08 ± 5.25 s vs. 14.87 ± 8.54 s, P = 0.0046). There were no PCR cases in the flip group, whereas there was one case (1.4%) in the traditional group. At 28 days postoperatively, the mean ECL rate of the flip group (3.7%) was lower than that of the conventional group (4.9%), although this difference did not reach statistical significance.
The 180° nuclear flip technique is a safe, efficient, and effective method for managing cataracts of grade III hardness and below. It may help reduce the risk of complications, improves intraoperative stability by creating a more spacious operating field, and significantly reduces phacoemulsification time. Video available for this article.
chictr.org.cn identifier, ChiCTR2500105241.

PMID:
42463970
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 17 Jul 2026.

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