title: Intrascleral concentration vs depth profile of mitomycin-C after episcleral application: impact of irrigation.
abstract: Mitomycin-C has been reported to cause toxic effects on the ciliary body after episcleral application during glaucoma surgery. We investigated the intrascleral diffusion of mitomycin-C in an experimental model. The episcleral sides of scleral quadrants of 14 human donor eyes were exposed for 5 min to sponges (corneal light shield, Merocel corp., Mystic, CT, U.S.A.) soaked with 200 microg ml(-1)mitomycin-C. After the exposure one of four quadrants was not irrigated and the episcleral sides of three quadrants were irrigated with 40, 100 and 200 ml saline. A 9 mm scleral disk was punched out with a trephine and frozen on a kryotome plate 2 min after the end of mitomycin-C exposure. An 8 mm diameter scleral disk was then cut with a trephine, again frozen on a kryotome plate and then horizontally dissected with a kryotome. For analysis purposes seven cuts of 20 microm thickness were combined to one layer of 140 microm. Six layers could be reproduced and were analysed. The mitomycin-C concentrations of these layers were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography. A concentration vs depth profile was calculated for each group, and the half-width of concentration was calculated by log-linear regression. The mitomycin-C concentration of layer 1 was 24.51 microg g(-1)(+/-7.52) without irrigation, 13.15 microg g(-1)(+/-4.38) after 40 ml irrigation, 10.29 (+/-3.53) after 100 ml irrigation and 8.4 microg g(-1)(+/-1.62) after 200 ml irrigation. In layers 1-3 the concentration of mitomycin-C was significantly reduced by irrigation (ANOVA). In the deeper intrascleral layers irrigation had no effect on the mitomycin-C concentrations. Between layers 2 and 6 the half-width of the mitomycin-C concentration was 101 microm (no-irrigation group), 141 microm (40 ml irrigation group), 153 microm (100 ml irrigation group), and 164 microm (200 ml irrigation group). Irrigation reduced the mitomycin-C concentration only down to half of the scleral thickness, leaving the deep intrascleral concentrations unchanged.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vass
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Georgopoulos
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: El Menyawi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Radda
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nimmerrichter
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Menapace
mesh_terms: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006801:Humans; D016685:Mitomycin / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D012590:Sclera / Q000378:metabolism*; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D016685:Mitomycin