Assessment of Anterior Chamber by Ultrasound Biomicroscopy and Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography in Patients with Inflammatory Glaucoma

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical indications of ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) in eyes with inflammatory glaucoma. METHODS: Sixteen patients (16 eyes) with inflammatory glaucoma were analysed retrospectively. All of the subjects underwent UBM and AS-OCT scans, measuring the following parameters: central corneal thickness (CCT), central anterior chamber depth (ACD), angle-opening distance (AOD500), and trabecular-iris angle (TIA500) in four quadrants. RESULTS: Both the UBM and AS-OCT generated detailed, high-resolution images of the anterior segments of the eyes with inflammatory glaucoma. Moreover, the UBM and AS-OCT exhibited statistically similar measurement results for all of the indices. A Bland–Altman analysis showed a high level of agreement between the two imaging techniques. Additionally, the UBM was able to visualize the ciliary body and pars plana, while the cells and the flare in the anterior chamber appeared more pronounced in the UBM images. CONCLUSIONS: Both the UBM and AS-OCT are useful tools for anterior segment imaging and taking measurements needed for evaluating inflammatory glaucoma. The AS-OCT has the advantages of being noninvasive and fast, whereas the UBM is presently unparalleled in the visualization of the ciliary body and pars plana.