Towards better characterization and quantification of emulsification of silicone oil in vitro



Chan, YK, Czanner, G, Shum, HC, Williams, RL ORCID: 0000-0002-1954-0256, Cheung, N and Wong, D
(2017) Towards better characterization and quantification of emulsification of silicone oil in vitro. Acta Ophthalmologica, 95 (5). e385-e392.

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Abstract

Purpose Emulsification is related to complications arising from silicone oil (SO ) tamponade. Currently, there is no widely accepted method for testing the propensity of SO to emulsify that are physiologically realistic and quantitative. Methods We compared different ways of inducing emulsification namely vortex mixing, sonication and homogenization. Silicone oil (SO) emulsification was quantitatively assessed using the Coulter counter and laser light scattering. The in vitro results are compared with the droplet size distribution profile of vitreous clinical washout. Conventional SO was compared with two novel SO blends with high‐molecular‐weight (HMW ) additives (SOHMW 2000 and SOHMW 5000). Results Of the three methods for inducing emulsification, homogenization generated the most consistent emulsion samples with the smallest variance. The results from the Coulter counter measurement correlated strongly with the laser light scattering measurement within the range of 1 to 30 µm. The droplet size distribution profiles from human eyes were similar to that of emulsions generated in vitro by homogenization. The human size distribution profile was within the range of values obtained by the in vitro experiment. Compared to the conventional SO , the emulsion droplet counts for the new SO blends were significantly lower (SOHMW 2000 and SOHMW 5000 were 79% (±17%) and 49% (±18%) of the SO 2000 and SO 5000, respectively; p = 0.03 and p = 0.002). Conclusion Emulsion generated in vitro by homogenization has similar droplet size profile as human eyes filled with SO . Using this method to induce emulsion, SO blends with HMW additives demonstrated less propensity to emulsification with lower droplet counts compared to conventional SO with similar shear viscosity.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Coulter counter, Emulsification, Laser light scattering, Silicone oil
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 03 Aug 2016 07:47
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2023 07:32
DOI: 10.1111/aos.13258
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3002733