Evaluation of Changes in Ocular Tissue Elasticity Before and After Trabeculectomy Using Shear Wave Elastography

Objective: This study aimed to compare time-dependent changes in visual acuity (VA), central corneal thickness (CCT), intraocular pressure (IOP), and the structure and elasticity of ocular tissues, as measured by shear wave elastography (SWE), in the preoperative, postoperative 1st week, and 1st month periods. Methods: This prospective observational study with repeated measurements included 22 individuals aged 44-86 years who underwent trabeculectomy for medically resistant glaucoma. VA, CCT, and IOP were measured preoperatively and at 1 week and 1 month postoperatively for the study. The elastic properties of ocular tissues were evaluated using the SWE method by obtaining quantitative measurements of lens SWE (LSWE), vitreous SWE (VSWE), optic nerve head SWE (OSWE), and retrobulbar fat SWE (RSWE). The changes in the obtained structural and elasticity parameters were compared preoperatively, 1 week postoperatively, and 1 month postoperatively. Results: When anterior segment parameters were evaluated in individuals who underwent trabeculectomy, there were significant differences in VA (p = 0.001, ƞp2 = 0.401), CCT (p = 0.001, ƞp2 = 0.806), and IOP (p = 0.001, ƞp2 = 0.853) values (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between preoperative and postoperative measurements at 1 week and 1 month for the elasticity parameters of LSWE, VSWE, OSWE, and RSWE (p > 0.05). Conclusions: This study suggests that the biomechanical adaptation of ocular tissues may be incomplete in the early postoperative period. Non-invasive methods such as SWE can be considered a potential tool for postoperative follow-up and predicting surgical success.