title: [Effect of neodymium YAG laser treatment of glaucoma on endothelial cell density of the cornea].
abstract: In a prospective clinical study corneal endothelium cell density was measured by means of contact specular microscopy prior to and 2, 4 and 12 weeks after Nd-YAG laser treatment. Two different laser techniques were applied: 19 eyes with narrow-angle glaucoma were treated by laser iridotomy, 21 eyes with open-angle glaucoma underwent laser treatment of the trabecular meshwork. The Nd-YAG laser was driven in Q-switched mode (nanosecond range) for iridotomy and in free-running mode (millisecond range) to treat the trabecular meshwork. A mechanical effect (iridotomy) as well as a thermal effect (LTP) of the Nd-YAG laser source was used. The morphometric study of the corneal endothelium revealed a variable increase in cell size, occasional cell loss, and an increase in polymorphism after Nd-YAG laser treatment. The decrease in endothelial cell density was not statistically significant (p = 0.01) for either laser technique. Possible mechanisms and risk factors responsible for endothelial cell loss are discussed.
mesh_terms: D002452:Cell Count; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology*; D004727:Endothelium / Q000473:pathology; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007498:Iris / Q000601:surgery; D053685:Laser Therapy; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000473:pathology*; D014129:Trabecular Meshwork / Q000601:surgery
vernacular_title: Die Auswirkung der Neodym-YAG-Laserbehandlung des Glaukoms auf die Endothelzelldichte der Hornhaut.