Glaucoma Filtering Surgery with PoIyethylene sheet

Hyung, Sung Min; Kim, Dong Myung; Youn, Dong Ho

Abstract

An 0.1 mm thin polyethylene sheet was used as an iris protector in posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation. An experiment using rabbits was done to determie the applicability of a polyethylene sheet as a glaucoma seton. The polyethylene sheet had 0.1 mm thickness and was cut into 5 mm X 8 mm. In the subconjunctival space, one end of the implant was at the corneoscleral limbus or introduced into the anterior chamber through a sclerectomy opening, and the other end was allowed to extend to the posterior surface of the sclera. The eyes with an implant showed a more prominent and larger filtering bleb than the control eyes without an implant. Postoperative foreign body inflammatory change was minimal on both grossly and light microscopically. Fibroconnective capsule lining the polyethylene sheet was 0.2 mm - 0.3 mm thick, and had a small amount of collagen, and fibroblasts, and a few lymphocytes. Number and configuration of histiocytes on the inner surface of the fibroconnective tissue lining the implants were different, according to the sclerectomy or bleb size. The major complications were extrusion of the implant and dislocation into the anterior chamber. Above results suggested that the polyethylene sheet was suitable as a glaucoma seton, but more flexible products were expected.