Abstract
Purpose: To describe the clinical signs of Descemet membrane (DM) detachment due to forceps-related birth injury and its subsequent management using optical coherence tomography. Methods: Case report. Results: A 3-day-old term infant presented with left eye corneal clouding and a definitive history of traumatic forceps-assisted delivery. Despite topical therapy, corneal clouding persisted, necessitating an examination under anesthesia using ultrasound and handheld optical coherence tomography. This revealed not only a tear in DM but also a large detachment. Injection of air alone failed to achieve apposition of DM to the posterior stroma. Apposition was achieved only after penetration of the overlying cornea with the needle of a 10-0 nylon suture and release of clear viscous fluid. The cornea cleared within the first week and continued in the months to follow. Conclusions: Prolonged corneal edema should alert the physician to probable DM detachment after forceps-related birth injury. Injecting air alone may not be sufficient to reattach the detached DM.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 375-376 |
Number of pages | 2 |
Journal | Cornea |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 1 2017 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Descemet membrane
- forceps injury
- optical coherence tomography
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ophthalmology