Autologous conjunctival resurfacing of leaking filtering blebs

Purposes To present a case series of a new technique to repair late bleb leaks. Designs:Retrospective, noncomparative, consecutive case series. Participants: Forty-seven autologous conjunctival resurfacings of late bleb leaks were performed by four surgeons at two institutions. Methods: Autologous conjunctival grafts were placed over existing de-epithelialized leaking blebs. Main Outcome Measures: Leak-free, Seidel-negative blebs and controlled glaucoma. Results: After a mean follow-up of 14 +/- 12 months, one patient continued to have bleb leak at the last follow-up, and one frank leak resolved with aqueous suppression. Intraocular pressure increased from 6.6 +/- 4.4 mmHg (0.13 glaucoma medications) to 11.9 +/- 4.1 mmHg (0.41 glaucoma medications). Conclusions: Conjunctival resurfacing with autologous tissue is an effective technique to repair late bleb leaks. Ophthalmology 2000;107:1675-1680 (C) 2000 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.