Thermal imaging characteristics of ultrasonic and pneumatic guillotine 25 gauge vitrectors

Purpose: to analyze thermal characteristics of ultrasonic and pneumatic guillotine 25G vitrectors in the experiment. Materials and Methods. In vitro studies were performed using Testo 882 thermal imager under various conditions for a more complete assessment of thermal characteristics of 25G ultrasonic vitrector and 25G pneumatic guillotine vitrector. First experiment was carried out in normal saline solution of room temperature, second experiment was performed in air medium. Results. It was found that during operation of ultrasonic and pneumatic guillotine vitrectors, the temperature threshold of 45°C, which is critical for thermal damage to retinal tissue, was not reached in all experiments. Under severe conditions (working in the air medium without cooling of vitrector tip), different localization of the heating zone in ultrasonic (at proximal part of the needle) and pneumatic (at distal part, near the port) vitrectors was detected. Conclusion. In experimental conditions, the thermal safety of ultrasonic and pneumatic guillotine vitrectors of caliber 25G has been proved by the method of infrared thermal imaging.