title: Histopathologic findings in a transsclerally sutured posterior chamber intraocular lens.
abstract: A 77-year-old woman had penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), removal of an anterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL), and implantation of a transsclerally sutured posterior chamber IOL for painful pseudophakic bullous keratopathy. Postoperatively, preexisting anterior synechias led to painful secondary angle-closure glaucoma and the eye was enucleated 8 months after the PKP. Light microscopy of the eye revealed that the haptics of the IOL were surrounded by a variably dense fibrous membrane consisting of connective tissue and fibroblasts. In some areas, the haptics had eroded into the superficial stroma of the ciliary body. Except for rare foreign-body giant cells, no inflammatory cells were present near the haptics. This case illustrates that haptics of transsclerally sutured posterior chamber IOLs may be stabilized by fibrous membranes and/or by erosion into the ciliary body relatively soon after implantation. This should be considered if surgical centration, removal, or exchange of such a lens is planned.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and University Eye Hospital, University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany. kuechle@augen.imed.uni-erlangen.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Küchle
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hofmann-Rummelt
authors.forename: G O
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Naumann
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000867:Anterior Chamber / Q000601:surgery; D020878:Device Removal; D005123:Eye / Q000473:pathology*; D015353:Eye Enucleation; D005260:Female; D015812:Glaucoma, Angle-Closure / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D015948:Keratoplasty, Penetrating; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular / Q000379:methods*; D007910:Lenses, Intraocular; D012590:Sclera / Q000601:surgery*; D013536:Suture Techniques