Most young ophthalmologists start learning phacoemulsification cataract surgery with the divide-and-conquer technique. This is an easier technique to learn than phaco chop because it does not have the same time constraints. For phaco chop there is a small window of just 1 or 2 seconds to chop the nucleus as it is being held by the phaco probe. For divide-and-conquer, there is no rush to separate the nuclear quadrants and multiple attempts can be made. The downside of divide-and-conquer is that it tends to require more ultrasonic energy to remove the cataract, with most of it being used to create the grooves, not remove the quadrants. In expert hands, divide-and-conquer can be efficient, safe, and gentle to the tissues.
Our guest surgeon is Dr. Neto Rosatelli from Ribeirão Preto, Brazil and he is a true expert. I have learned so much from his videos and it is truly a pleasure to watch him operate. I encourage you to follow his YouTube channel.
Click below to learn how to master divide-and-conquer:
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