Comparación del endotelio corneal antes y después de la extracción extracapsular del cristalino: Blumenthal vs facoemulsificación

objective: to determine the state of the corneal endothelium by means of the conventional optic microscopy, before and after the extracapsular extraction of the crystalline lens or phacoemulsification. method: prospective, descriptive and cross-sectional study was performed in 100 patients diagnosed with cataract, who underwent surgery with the blumenthal technique or phacomeulsification procedure at "ramón pando ferrer" cuban institute of ophthalmology from september - november 2006. results: males prevailed in the age groups of 40-59 and 60-79 years. the blumenthal technique changed the cellular density and hexagonality, except for the variability coefficient. the phacooemulsificación method modified all the morphometric parameters and the longer application of ultrasound meant greater endothelial loss in patients subjected to this technique. conclusions: the specular microscopy should be included as a routine test before and after every cataract surgery to demonstrate the effect of the surgical procedure on the corneal endothelium.