title: Are there filtering blebs after canaloplasty?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Aim of the study was to assess the development of filtering blebs after canaloplasty.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty eyes of 20 consecutive patients receiving canaloplasty were included. All eyes were examined clinically (slit lamp), and by anterior segment optical coherence tomography and high-frequency ultrasound biomicroscopy to detect filtering blebs. Preoperative and postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) and medications were recorded. No antimetabolites were used at any time. Two success criteria were defined to assess a possible correlation of bleb formation and success: (1) IOP ≤21 mm Hg and minimum 20% IOP reduction without medication and (2) IOP <18 mm Hg without medication.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No filtering blebs were detected clinically. One patient had a filtering bleb-like structure as detected by anterior segment optical coherence tomography and ultrasound biomicroscopy. Mean IOP decreased significantly from 22.15±9.5 mm Hg preoperatively to 13.3±9.9 mm Hg at last follow-up (at 245±120.0 d). The number of medications was reduced significantly from 3.15±1.2 preoperatively to 0.55±0.94 postoperatively. Complete success rate was 65% for both success criteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Filtering blebs occur rarely after canaloplasty. In canaloplasty, IOP reduction seems to be independent of subconjunctival aqueous drainage, thus, avoiding the problems of conjunctival scarring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Würzburg, Germany. klink_t@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klink
authors.forename: Ermioni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Panidou
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kanzow-Terai
authors.forename: Janine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klink
authors.forename: Günther
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schlunck
authors.forename: Franz J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Grehn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000869:Anterior Eye Segment / Q000601:surgery*; D001768:Blister / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000601:surgery*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D018463:Filtering Surgery / Q000379:methods*; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D033401:Microscopy, Acoustic; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence