Vitreoretinal surgeons’ experience and time interval from pars-plana vitrectomy to cataract extraction

AIM: To identify the association of the vitreoretinal surgeons’ experience with the time interval between pars-plana vitrectomy (PPV) and cataract extraction (CE). METHODS: Eyes with prior PPV and following CE were included in this retrospective cohort study. The years of practice and the annual case volume were used to describe the surgeons’ experience. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between surgeons’ experience and the time interval adjusted for the patients age, gender, intraocular tamponade, and case complexity. RESULTS: Of 132 430 eyes, 1445 eyes were included in this study. In multivariable linear regression analysis, cases performed by surgeons with >20 practice years had longer time intervals compared with surgeons with <10 practice years after adjusted for other variables (β=0.329, 95%CI: 0.113 to 0.549, P=0.003). No difference in time interval was detected for comparing the lowest with the highest volume groups (β=0.089, 95%CI: -0.164 to 0.343, P=0.343). The surgeons’ practice years were not directly with the volume. For complicated surgery, the higher-practice-year surgeons had longer time interval than lower-practice-year surgeons. CONCLUSION: The time intervals from PPV to CE is longer in higher-practice-year surgeons. The surgeons’ practice years may have a greater effect on the time interval than annual case volume in high-complexity cases. Matching the complexity of vitreoretinal diseases with the surgeons’ practice year should be considered.