Objective: To investigate the internal structures of trabeculectomy blebs using 3-dimensional cornea and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (3-D CAS OCT).
Design: Observational case series.
Participants: Thirty-eight filtering blebs in 31 patients who had undergone trabeculectomy examined retrospectively.
Methods: Intrableb structures were examined using 3-D CAS OCT. The blebs were classified clinically as successful (intraocular pressure [IOP] <18 mmHg without glaucoma medication) or failed.
Main outcome measures: Bleb structures were assessed in terms of the visibility of the drainage route, scleral flap, and microcysts. The length and height of the internal fluid-filled cavity, maximum and minimum bleb wall thickness, total bleb height, volumes of the internal fluid-filled cavity and hyporeflective area, and number of microcysts were analyzed.
Results: Intrableb drainage route, scleral flap, and microcysts were observed in 92.1%, 94.7%, and 86.8% eyes, respectively. The IOP showed a significant negative correlation with horizontal and vertical length of the fluid-filled cavity (Spearman correlation coefficient [r(s)] = -0.634; P<0.0001; and r(s) = -0.539; P = 0.0008, respectively), height of the fluid-filled cavity (r(s) = -0.334; P = 0.031), maximum bleb wall thickness (r(s) = -0.491; P = 0.0023), total bleb height (r(s) = -0.629; P<0.0001), volume of the internal fluid-filled cavity (r(s) = -0.480; P = 0.0029), volume of hyporeflective area (r(s) = -0.443; P = 0.0056), and number of microcysts (r(s) = -0.451; P = 0.0045). There were 26 successful (64.8%) and 12 failed (31.6%) blebs. Significant differences were observed between these groups in IOP (P<0.0001), horizontal and vertical length of the fluid-filled cavity (P<0.0001 and P = 0.0019, respectively), height of the fluid-filled cavity (P = 0.0046), maximum bleb wall thickness (P = 0.0029), total bleb height (P = 0.0003), volume of the internal fluid-filled cavity (P = 0.0006), volume of hyporeflective area (P = 0.0020), and number of microcysts (P = 0.0025).
Conclusions: The internal aqueous humor outflow channel and scleral flap could be visualized, and the 3-D volume of the intrableb cavity was calculated using 3-D CAS OCT. The successful blebs exhibited a large internal fluid-filled cavity, an extensive hyporeflective area, and thicker bleb walls with more microcysts.
Financial disclosure(s): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.