HIGH-RESOLUTION ULTRASOUND BIOMICROSCOPY OF THE ANTERIOR SEGMENT IN PATIENTS WITH DENSE CORNEAL SCARS

Preoperative evaluation and surgical planning for penetrating keratopl asty in patients with dense corneal scars is often difficult because o f poor visualization of the anterior segment. We performed ultrasound biomicroscopy (50-megahertz frequency, 50-micron resolution) on five e yes of five patients with dense corneal opacities of different etiolog ies to evaluate the anatomic relationships of the iris, lens, angle, a nd ciliary body. Corneal thickness, the presence or absence of iridoco rneal adhesions, peripheral anterior synechiae, and cyclitic membranes , intraocular lens position, and, relationships among intraocular stru ctures could be evaluated in vivo. Ultrasound biomicroscopy is the opt imal method of obtaining reliable, high-resolution images delineating anatomic relationships and pathology in the anterior segment. This inf ormation aids in surgical planning for penetrating keratoplasty and an terior segment reconstruction.