Ticiana De Francesco¹˒², Tsontcho Ianchulev³, Douglas J. Rhee⁴, Ronald C. Gentile³˒⁵, Louis R. Pasquale³, Iqbal Ike K. Ahmed¹˒⁶˒⁷.
Afiliações
¹ John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
² Clinica de Olhos De Francesco, Fortaleza, Brazil.
³ Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
⁴ Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
⁵ NYU Long Island School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Mineola, New York, USA.
⁶ Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
⁷ Prism Eye Institute, Mississauga, Canada.
Correspondência
Ticiana De Francesco. Tel.: +55 85 3219-2425. E-mail: ticianadefrancesco@gmail.com.
Abstract
This article aims to review the latest surgical advances and the evolving clinical use of scleral bio-tissue for reinforcement in the eye, as well as to review the published literature regarding novel surgical applications of scleral allograft bio-tissue.
Conventional surgical procedures for scleral reinforcement using homologous scleral allograft have traditionally consisted of ab-externo interventions, including anterior or posterior reinforcement of the sclera. These procedures have been employed for several clinical indications, such as ocular trauma, scleromalacia, coverage of glaucoma drainage devices, scleral perforation, and buckle repair.
Posterior scleral reinforcement has also been used in conditions such as pathologic myopia and staphyloma. In addition to these conventional applications, several novel ab-interno uses of scleral bio-tissue for reinforcement have been described in both retinal and glaucoma surgery.
Over the last decade, there has been an increase in peer-reviewed publications addressing scleral reinforcement, reflecting growing interest in its potential clinical applications.
Given its favorable biological and biomechanical properties, scleral allograft may represent an ideal substrate for a broad range of emerging applications and surgical techniques in ophthalmology.
Keywords
Sclera; allograft; biotissue; glaucoma.