Surgical management of raised intra-ocular tension in the hostile ocular surface - recurrent tube erosion in a patient with systemic sclerosis: a case report

Abstract Background The surgical management of patients with uncontrolled glaucoma and scleroderma is challenging, as the hostile ocular surface poses a challenge to surgery. A serious complication is tube erosion, with the risk of subsequent endophthalmitis. Here, we present a novel technique of ha...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gurjeet Jutley, Elizabeth Yang, Phillip Bloom
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2018-09-01
Series:BMC Ophthalmology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12886-018-0856-5
_version_ 1818231919599419392
author Gurjeet Jutley
Elizabeth Yang
Phillip Bloom
author_facet Gurjeet Jutley
Elizabeth Yang
Phillip Bloom
author_sort Gurjeet Jutley
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background The surgical management of patients with uncontrolled glaucoma and scleroderma is challenging, as the hostile ocular surface poses a challenge to surgery. A serious complication is tube erosion, with the risk of subsequent endophthalmitis. Here, we present a novel technique of harvesting autologous tissue to successfully manage recurrent tube extrusion. Case presentation MG is a 60-year-old Arabic lady diagnosed with scleroderma, that was previously managed with systemic corticosteroids. She has chronic open angle glaucoma, with a failed left eye trabeculectomy, which was then managed by a Baerveldt tube (BVT) insertion. Eight months after this primary surgery, she developed an anterior uveitis. This was further complicated by conjunctival erosion, tube exposure, leak around the sclerostomy site and hypotony. The erosion was likely secondary to her tight eyelids as a result of her scleroderma. She was taken back to theatre for tube revision, with single layer amniotic membrane transplant (AMT) over the exposed area, but the tube was eroding again after 2 months. She eventually underwent tube extraction, pars plana tube plate stabilisation, pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), pars plana tube insertion, phacoemulsification and intra-ocular lens insertion, jointly with the vitreo-retinal surgeons and with high dose prednisolone cover both pre- and post-operatively. We harvested the capsule which had grown over the end plate of the original tube. We sutured this over the new tube, specifically over a single layer of tutoplast prior to conjunctival closure. Almost a year on, the pars plana tube remains in place with no complications. Conclusions This case highlights the role of a pars plana tube in cases of cicatricial disease, with the use autologous tissue instead of grafts wherever possible. In patients with systemic disease such as scleroderma, pre-operative immunosuppression helps to reduce the of erosion in difficult cases.
first_indexed 2024-12-12T10:58:02Z
format Article
id doaj.art-39965d1682c840379820bc4d513d3c30
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1471-2415
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-12T10:58:02Z
publishDate 2018-09-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series BMC Ophthalmology
spelling doaj.art-39965d1682c840379820bc4d513d3c302022-12-22T00:26:36ZengBMCBMC Ophthalmology1471-24152018-09-0118S11610.1186/s12886-018-0856-5Surgical management of raised intra-ocular tension in the hostile ocular surface - recurrent tube erosion in a patient with systemic sclerosis: a case reportGurjeet Jutley0Elizabeth Yang1Phillip Bloom2Western Eye HospitalWestern Eye HospitalWestern Eye HospitalAbstract Background The surgical management of patients with uncontrolled glaucoma and scleroderma is challenging, as the hostile ocular surface poses a challenge to surgery. A serious complication is tube erosion, with the risk of subsequent endophthalmitis. Here, we present a novel technique of harvesting autologous tissue to successfully manage recurrent tube extrusion. Case presentation MG is a 60-year-old Arabic lady diagnosed with scleroderma, that was previously managed with systemic corticosteroids. She has chronic open angle glaucoma, with a failed left eye trabeculectomy, which was then managed by a Baerveldt tube (BVT) insertion. Eight months after this primary surgery, she developed an anterior uveitis. This was further complicated by conjunctival erosion, tube exposure, leak around the sclerostomy site and hypotony. The erosion was likely secondary to her tight eyelids as a result of her scleroderma. She was taken back to theatre for tube revision, with single layer amniotic membrane transplant (AMT) over the exposed area, but the tube was eroding again after 2 months. She eventually underwent tube extraction, pars plana tube plate stabilisation, pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), pars plana tube insertion, phacoemulsification and intra-ocular lens insertion, jointly with the vitreo-retinal surgeons and with high dose prednisolone cover both pre- and post-operatively. We harvested the capsule which had grown over the end plate of the original tube. We sutured this over the new tube, specifically over a single layer of tutoplast prior to conjunctival closure. Almost a year on, the pars plana tube remains in place with no complications. Conclusions This case highlights the role of a pars plana tube in cases of cicatricial disease, with the use autologous tissue instead of grafts wherever possible. In patients with systemic disease such as scleroderma, pre-operative immunosuppression helps to reduce the of erosion in difficult cases.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12886-018-0856-5Pars plana tubeBaerveldt tubeTube erosionSclerodermaSystemic sclerosisGlaucoma drainage surgery
spellingShingle Gurjeet Jutley
Elizabeth Yang
Phillip Bloom
Surgical management of raised intra-ocular tension in the hostile ocular surface - recurrent tube erosion in a patient with systemic sclerosis: a case report
BMC Ophthalmology
Pars plana tube
Baerveldt tube
Tube erosion
Scleroderma
Systemic sclerosis
Glaucoma drainage surgery
title Surgical management of raised intra-ocular tension in the hostile ocular surface - recurrent tube erosion in a patient with systemic sclerosis: a case report
title_full Surgical management of raised intra-ocular tension in the hostile ocular surface - recurrent tube erosion in a patient with systemic sclerosis: a case report
title_fullStr Surgical management of raised intra-ocular tension in the hostile ocular surface - recurrent tube erosion in a patient with systemic sclerosis: a case report
title_full_unstemmed Surgical management of raised intra-ocular tension in the hostile ocular surface - recurrent tube erosion in a patient with systemic sclerosis: a case report
title_short Surgical management of raised intra-ocular tension in the hostile ocular surface - recurrent tube erosion in a patient with systemic sclerosis: a case report
title_sort surgical management of raised intra ocular tension in the hostile ocular surface recurrent tube erosion in a patient with systemic sclerosis a case report
topic Pars plana tube
Baerveldt tube
Tube erosion
Scleroderma
Systemic sclerosis
Glaucoma drainage surgery
url http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12886-018-0856-5
work_keys_str_mv AT gurjeetjutley surgicalmanagementofraisedintraoculartensioninthehostileocularsurfacerecurrenttubeerosioninapatientwithsystemicsclerosisacasereport
AT elizabethyang surgicalmanagementofraisedintraoculartensioninthehostileocularsurfacerecurrenttubeerosioninapatientwithsystemicsclerosisacasereport
AT phillipbloom surgicalmanagementofraisedintraoculartensioninthehostileocularsurfacerecurrenttubeerosioninapatientwithsystemicsclerosisacasereport