Gelatinous polyethylene in the treatment of the anophthalmic cavity

Gelatinous polyethylene (GP) has been used as an orbital implant to evaluate volume maintenance and tissue reaction in the anophthalmic socket in a rabbit model.

Twenty-eight Norfolk white rabbits underwent unilateral evisceration with placement of 2 ml GP (GP group - 16 animals) or 2 ml 0.9% sodium chloride solution (Control group - 12 animals). Animal behavior, postoperative tissue response and socket conditions were evaluated. The animals were sacrificed at 7, 15, 30 and 60 days after the surgery and the bulbs were enucleated; volume maintenance and histopathological evaluation were done in the enucleated bulbs. The results were submitted to statistical analysis.

All animals showed normal behavior. The orbital volume maintenance was better in the GP group. Histopathology in the GP animals showed mild tissue inflammation throughout the evaluation period and a thin pseudocapsule formation surrounding the orbital implant material.

The clinical findings, good orbital volume maintenance and mild inflammatory tissue response make GP a good choice to replace the lack of volume in anophthalmic socket reconstruction.