Abstract
Purpose :
To assess the progression of lens opacification after trabeculectomy by lens densitometry analysis performed with Pentacam Scheimpflug imaging and lens thickness using A-scan ultrasound.
Methods :
27 eyes of 25 patients undergoing first time trabeculectomy were enrolled in this prospective clinical study (mean age: 68.3±10.1 years). For objective cataract quantification, lens densitometry and lens thickness were examined before and 6 months after trabeculectomy. Lens densitometry was measured with the Pentacam Scheimpflug system (Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany). The following 3 lens densitometry parameters were analyzed: mean density, maximum density and Pentacam Nuclear Staging Score (PNS). For the 3-dimensional analysis, a cylindrical template with a diameter of 2.0 mm was placed in the visual axis of the lens. The mean density and maximum density values within the cylinder were registered on a scale from 0% to 100%. The PNS cataract grading score on a scale from 0 to 5 was noted. Lens thickness was measured by A-scan ultrasound (A-2500, Sonomed Inc., USA). For statistical analysis SPSS was used. A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results :
Mean densitometry of the lens did not change after trabeculectomy (11.51±1.5% vs. 11.49±2.4%, p=0.953). Furthermore, there was no effect on peak densitometry (41.58±14.6% vs. 43.88±15.0%, p=0.499) or PNS cataract grading score (0.85±0.4 vs. 0.96±0.8, p=0.416). Regarding the lens thickness, we did not detect a significant change 6 months after surgery (4.47±0.6mm vs. 4.63±0.5mm, p=0.448).
Conclusions :
In this study, lens densitometry measured with the Pantacam Scheimpflug system and lens thickness measured by A-scan ultrasound do not change 6 months after trabeculectomy. In eyes with low-grade-cataract, trabeculectomy does not lead to a progression of lens opacification.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.