Chemotactic activity of aqueous humor. A cause of failure of trabeculectomies?
J. P. Joseph, I. Grierson and R. A. Hitchings
Pathology Department, Institute of Ophthalmology, London, England.
The chemoattractant activity for ocular fibroblasts of the aqueous humor of
patients undergoing glaucoma surgery was evaluated in 48-well
microchemotaxis chambers and compared with control specimens from patients
undergoing cataract extractions. All specimens were chemoattractant, but
those from patients who had previously undergone glaucoma surgery that had
failed were of significantly greater activity than the controls'. This
chemoattractant activity is primarily chemotactic. It consists of
heat-stable and heat-labile components. The predisposition of a patient to
sustain failed glaucoma drainage surgery may be related to the
chemoattractant activity of his aqueous humor, since strongly
chemoattractant aqueous humor may encourage fibrosis at the operation site.
