Histological Biocompatibility of a Stainless Steel Miniature Glaucoma Drainage Device in Humans: A Case Report

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the histological biocompatibility of a stainless steel miniature glaucoma drainage device. Twenty-four months before death due to heart failure, this seventy-three-year-old female patient underwent filtration surgery for primary open-angle glaucoma uncontrol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Toxicologic pathology 2009-06, Vol.37 (4), p.512-516
Main Authors: De Feo, Fabio, Jacobson, Stewart, Nyska, Abraham, Pagani, Paola, Traverso, Carlo Enrico
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Biocompatible Materials
Biological and medical sciences
Cornea - anatomy & histology
Cornea - cytology
Female
Filtering Surgery
Glaucoma and intraocular pressure
Glaucoma Drainage Implants
Glaucoma, Open-Angle - surgery
Histocytochemistry
Humans
Intraocular Pressure
Medical sciences
Ophthalmology
Stainless Steel
Toxicology
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the histological biocompatibility of a stainless steel miniature glaucoma drainage device. Twenty-four months before death due to heart failure, this seventy-three-year-old female patient underwent filtration surgery for primary open-angle glaucoma uncontrolled in the right eye. The device was implanted at the limbus under a scleral flap. For histopathological evaluation, two corneoscleral specimens were embedded in methacrylate blocks sectioned to a thickness of 50 microns, polished and stained with periodic acid schiff. Some sections included a longitudinal cross-section of the implant. At the interface between the spur and the flange of the device and the cornea, there was a small shoulder of fibrous tissue. A thin, fibrous capsule covered the remainder of the body of the device up to the distal tip. No inflammatory cells occurred within the fibrous capsule. No material or blockage was noted within the lumen. Our results support the biological inertness of the device.
ISSN:0192-6233
1533-1601
DOI:10.1177/0192623309336150