Ultrasound biomicroscopic measurement of development of anterior chamber angle

Aim-To establish normative values for the anterior segment in normal infant s and children in relation to age. Methods-Anterior segments were measured in 46 normal infants and children ( 21 males and 25 females, aged from 1 to 60 months (mean 17.09 (SD 16.99) mo nths)),by use of ultrasound biomicroscopy. Results-Anterior chamber depth, trabecular-iris angle, angle opening (trabe cular-iris) distances at 250 and 500 pm from the scleral spur, and the thic kness of the thickest part of the iris were 1724-3473 mu m (2505 (SD 480) m u m), 15.35-44.79 degrees (28.74 (7.46)degrees), 116-367 mu m (247.4 (65.9) mu m), 166-509 mu m (349.5 (87.1) mu m), and 249-579 mu m (434.6 (74.6) mu m), respectively. All factors in this study showed a significant correlati on with logarithm of age (r = 0.937. p = 0.0001: r = 0.867. p = 0.0001; r = 0.929, p = 0.0001; r = 0.917, p = 0.0001; r = 0.748, p = 0.0001), and sign ificantly correlated with each other. Conclusions-Ultrasound biomicroscopy is a powerful tool for obtaining preci se images and measurement of the development of the anterior segment in inf ants and children. Normative values were established for anterior segment d imensions in relation to age. Anterior chamber depth, trabecular-iris angle , angle opening distances at 250 and 500 mu m from the scleral spur, and ir is thickness showed linear increases in relation to logarithm of age.