I have been writing and reading alot about bilateral cataract surgery. The terminology and abbreviations are confusing. I would like to suggest that we universally adopt an amalgam of separate proposals:
ISBCS = Immediately sequential bilateral cataract surgery
DSBCS = Delayed sequential bilateral cataract surgeries
I believe that the terminology of “iImmediately sequential” and “delayed sequential” was first suggested by Bjorn Johansson, to whom we should be grateful. The only change I have suggested is to leave in the word “bilateral” in both cases, and making the delayed version plural, as it is done as 2 separate events.
Steve Arshinoff MD FRCSC
iSBCS Posts
Thanks Steve for kind acknowledgement - actually I stole the expression (with pride, but still) from an article in Acta Ophthalmologica by Mats Lundström et al on the benefits of ISBCS. Previously I was using “same day bilateral surgery”, as we initially separated the two surgeries by letting another patient in the OR between. This was made in order to emphasize to all staff that the surgeries were totally separate, but of course decreased the logistical advantages in the operation unit. Soon true ISBCS was done instead.
DSBCS can be the best way of handling some patients, of course. Still, in my practice I see a lot of patients referred by other ophthalmologists and surgeons, where the plan is “first one eye, and when that is done let’s remove the cataract in the other eye soon…”. In cases with no contraindications against ISBCS I feel sorry for the patient, who actually has quality of life taken away from him/er, for the time passing between the two operations. But I am probably kicking in open doors in this forum
Cheers
Björn