Goniodiathermy: experimental studies on ab interno filtration

Goniodiathermy was carried out in rabbit eyes by first performing a goniopuncture with a Barkan knife followed by the introduction of an intraocular diathermy probe into the goniopuncture tract and heating of the cut ends of the scleral fibers. Histologic sections revealed that goniodiathermy produced a gaped wound in the scleral wall of the angle. Goniopuncture alone, without diathermy, resulted in a thin, well healed scar. Goniodiathermy appears to be a safe and feasible technique for creating a tract in the scleral wall of the anterior chamber angle in adult rabbits. This procedure, with modifications, may serve as a model for creating filtering blebs in the treatment of glaucoma in humans.