title: Histological biocompatibility of a stainless steel miniature glaucoma drainage device in humans: a case report.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the histological biocompatibility of a stainless steel miniature glaucoma drainage device. Twenty-four months before death due to heart failure, this seventy-three-year-old female patient underwent filtration surgery for primary open-angle glaucoma uncontrolled in the right eye. The device was implanted at the limbus under a scleral flap. For histopathological evaluation, two corneoscleral specimens were embedded in methacrylate blocks sectioned to a thickness of 50 microns, polished and stained with periodic acid schiff. Some sections included a longitudinal cross-section of the implant. At the interface between the spur and the flange of the device and the cornea, there was a small shoulder of fibrous tissue. A thin, fibrous capsule covered the remainder of the body of the device up to the distal tip. No inflammatory cells occurred within the fibrous capsule. No material or blockage was noted within the lumen. Our results support the biological inertness of the device.
authors.affiliation: Centro di Ricerca Clinica e Laboratorio per il Glaucoma e la Cornea, Di.N.O.G., Clinica Oculistica, University of Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Feo
authors.forename: Stewart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nyska
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pagani
authors.forename: Carlo Enrico
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Traverso
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003315:Cornea / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D018463:Filtering Surgery; D020327:Glaucoma Drainage Implants; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000601:surgery*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D013193:Stainless Steel
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D013193:Stainless Steel