Prospective 3D Investigation of Bleb Wall after Trabeculectomy Using Anterior-Segment OCT

We used three-dimensional anterior-segment optical coherence tomography (3d as-oct) to evaluate time-dependent posttrabeculectomy changes in bleb wall volume and intensity. methods. this prospective observational study included patients with open-angle glaucoma who underwent fornix-based trabeculectomy between january 2012 and october 2012. twenty-nine eyes met inclusion criteria,and the bleb walls of 22 were amenable to three-dimensional analysis by 3d as-oct for 1 year after surgery. the high-intensity volume ratio was calculated as the proportion of the high-intensity region in the total bleb wall. changes in the high-intensity volume ratio were of high intensity,and parameters influencing the ratio were analyzed using 3d as-oct. results. the mean high-intensity volume ratios (±sds) were 43.5 ± 21.4,44.1 ± 14.8,41.5 ± 22.6,and 43.2 ± 19.7% at 0.5,3,6,and 12 months after trabeculectomy,respectively. when the volume ratios obtained 0.5 and 12 months posttrabeculectomy were compared,four and five eyes exhibited decreases and increases of over 20%,respectively. the volume ratios at 12 months correlated with the intraocular pressure (iop) at that time (t=2.44,p=0.024) and the bleb wall vascularity score at 12 months (t=5.44,p<0.001). conclusions. the high-intensity bleb wall at 12 months posttrabeculectomy reflected the iop and the bleb wall vascularity at that time. © 2017 fumika watanabe-kitamura et al.