advertisement

---

Top-eight Russian Glaucoma Society Annual Meeting
Moscow, Russia, December 4, 2009

Eugeny Egorov

---

1. The destructive scleral structure changes in glaucoma patients were described. The main factor of scleral biochemical malfunction was collagen type III accumulation. (Anastasia Zhuravleva, Moscow)
2. 'Live surgery' demonstrated for the first time, collagenoplasty, a form of non-penetrating glaucoma surgery with the use of antiglaukoma collagen drain Xenoplast, material derived from bone by a new bioengineering technology. Xenoplast has a porous structure (architectonics of native spongious bone), the aqueous flow takes place throughout the drain. The implant is biologically inert, can stay for several years in the intrascleral space and in the anterior chamber angle, maintaining the intrascleral space, the filtering bleb and the profile of the anterior chamber angle. Xenoplast represents porous white-colored plates with a material porosity of 70-90%, pore size from 200 to 700 microns. It can be shaped according to the extent of the surgical procedure (standard size 4,0 x 1, 5 х 0, 8 mm). Normative swelling does not exceed 0,1%. (Svetlana Anisimova, Moscow).
3. The role of vascular dysregulation in normal-tension glaucoma pathogenesis was studied. An increased level of blood markers of vascular endothelium dysfunction, such as Willebrand factor, proinflammatory cytokines, nitric oxide synthetase, cell adhesion molecules, amount of endothelial cells and others were found. (Nataly Kurysheva, Moscow)
4. A new diagnostic method consists of infrared spectrometry of tear fluid. Significant differences between eyes with progressive and stable glaucoma were found. Infrared spectrometry seems useful for measuring glaucoma progression. Infrared tear fluid analyzer breaks down the water component of the tears in 9 bands (channels). In POAG patients a significant increase in permeability parameters and reduction of dispersion of the permeability parameters in the IR-spectrum compared to the healthy controls takes place, which indicates qualitative and quantitative changes in the composition of tear fluid. Significant differences in the dispersion of the parameters of tear fluid permeability measured by infrared spectrometry have been identified in the groups of patients with stable and progressive POAG compared to the control group. (Igor Alekseev, Moscow)
5. Conjunctiva and cornea changes after various long-term glaucoma treatments were studied. Using the HRT II-RCM changes of the epithelium of the conjunctiva were demonstrated. In patients on beta-blocker therapy containing preservatives, swelling and desquamation of the cornea epithelium was found by confocal microscopy. A reduction of these changes were found after application of beta-blockers without preservatives. (Sergey Astakhov, Saint-Petersburg)
6. Pigment (melanin granules) affects the trabecular meshwork (TM) in human glaucoma eyes after long-term exposure to topical intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering agents. A moderate correlation was found between the time elapsed since the diagnosis of glaucoma was made and the area of the TM containing melanin granules (r = -.57) and the concentration of melanin granules (r = -.47) in advanced stages (III) of glaucoma after using a combination therapy of β-blockers and topical CAI's. (Alex Kuroyedov, Moscow)
7. The anatomic features of different types of optic nerve heads (ONH) influenced HRT parameters. A so called index of ovality was defined for the various ONH types. It is 0.6-0.75 in transversal discs, more than 1.35 in longitudinal discs and 0.7-1.35 in discs with large cupping. A new formula, taking into account the slope of ONH, was suggested in order to obtain a more accurate rim volume. (Anna Akopyan, Moscow)
8. The cost-effectiveness of the prophylaxis of post-operative endophthalmitis was reviewed. The use of Levofloxacin® in the early postoperative period, which has the broadest spectrum of antibacterial action, was found to be the most cost-effective treatment to avoid postoperative endophthalmitis. (Eugeny Egorov, Moscow)

(With thanks to Dr. V. Apostolov for his assistance in the Russian-English translation.)