The Usefulness of Fibrinogen-Thrombin Adhesives for Management of Conjunctival Closure in Scleral Buckling Operation

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We investigated the efficacy of fibrin glue for conjunctival closure in scleral buckling operations. METHODS: Thirty-seven eyes of 35 patients who underwent conjunctival closure for a scleral buckling operation with a minimum follow-up period of 3 months were evaluated. Postoperative discomfort (average score), presence of remnant adhesives, scleral buckle material infection, and wound dehiscence were evaluated prospectively in 35 eyes of 33 patients undergoing surgery with fibrin glue. RESULTS: The eyes showed decreasing conjunctival injection and hemorrhage over time and near to full recovered without any treatment after 1 month. With time, the average discomfort score decreased significantly (p < 0.05) and wound dehiscence was found in only 1 eye. There was no adhesive remnant in any of the eyes. CONCLUSIONS: The use of fibrin glue for conjunctival closure in scleral buckling operations is excellent as a cosmetic and functional method. The glue can reduce postoperative discomfort and is especially useful as a method to replace conventional conjunctival sutures.