Trabeculectomy with scleral wick. Technique and early results.

A variation to standard trabeculectomy is described, whereby the trabecular tissue flap is not completely excised, but dissected free, hinged at its nasal end and sutured diagonally across the scleral bed, to act as a wedge between the scleral flap and its bed, in an attempt to decrease the tendency of the sclera to scar into a watertight barrier. In addition, it is suggested that the trabecular flap acts as a wick that aids in the filtration of the aqueous humour. The technique has been used in 24 eyes with good to excellent, short-term, post-operative intraocular tension control in all but 2 patients. Mil complications like transient flat anterior chamber or blood cells in the aqueous occur at rates comparable to other filtering procedures.