Abstract

CASTILLO PEREZ, Alexeide de la C.; PEREZ PARRA, Zaadia; PILOTO DIAZ, Ibraín  and  FERNANDEZ ARGONES, Liamet. Evaluation of the filtering bleb with in vivo confocal microscopy. Rev Cubana Oftalmol [online]. 2008, vol.21, n.1, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-3070.

INTRODUCTION: The use of in vivo confocal microscopy to evaluate the bleb after a filtering surgery of glaucoma allows relating the morphological characteristics to the function of the filtering bleb and the time of surgery. This study was aimed at describing the findings of confocal microscopy in functioning and failing filtering blebs. METHODS: A longitudinal descriptive study was conducted in which the patients were divided into two groups : group A (83 functioning blebs) and group B (17 failing blebs). The clinical characteristics of the filtering blebs together with Goldman´s applanation tonometry were evaluated. Confocal microscopy was performed three months after the Rostock HRT II corneal module surgery. The average age was 63 years. Females predominated with 59% (n= 49) and GPAA was at 80 %. Mean ocular pressure in the functioning filtering blebs was 14,1 mm Hg and in the failing blebs was 28,8 mm Hg. RESULTS: Confocal microscopy showed many epithelial microcysts, porous stromal mesh similar to collagen, non-encapsulated cystic spaces, minimal vascularization and no twisted conjunctival vessels. CONCLUSIONS: In vivo confocal microscopy makes it possible to differentiate a functioning filtering bleb from a failing bleb so the combination of this microscopy with the clinical characteristics of the filtering bleb is an important criterion for assessing a successful surgery.

Keywords : In vivo confocal microscopy.

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