[Late endophthalmitis complicating glaucoma filtering surgery without adjunctive antifibrotic agents]

Abstract

Purpose: To identify the incidence, infecting organisms, and clinical results of late endophthalmitis after trabeculectomy without antifibrotic agents.

Material and methods: The current retrospective study investigated 613 trabeculectomies without adjunctive antifibrotic agents performed between January 1994 and December 2003 in the Clinic of Ophthalmology of Beni-Messous University Hospital (Algiers, Algeria).

Results: Eight eyes presented with late endophthalmitis after an uneventful postoperative period, for an incidence of 1.3%. The endophthalmitis occurred between 1 year and 7 years after the filtering surgery. Conjunctival swabs were taken in all cases. Vitreous swabs were taken in only six cases. There were five positive cases. The organisms identified were Staphylococcus aureus (one case), alpha hemolytic streptococci (two cases), Haemophilus sp. (one case), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (pyocyanic) (one case). The anatomic and visual results were poor after treatment of endophthalmitis. One case deteriorated, ending in enucleation.

Conclusion: Late endophthalmitis may complicate glaucoma filtering surgery, several months or years later, after a postoperative period without incident. The surgical indications of glaucoma must take into account the complications related to this surgery.