[Use of a fibrin glue (Tissucol) for treating perforated or pre-perforated corneal ulcer].

Treatment of perforated and preperforated corneal ulcers is a difficult task. As emergency penetrating keratoplasty results in poor visual outcome, surgical glue has been suggested as an alternative solution, but poor corneal tolerance for cyanoacrylate made this treatment non satisfactory. We treated 15 corneal ulcers (11 perforations, 2 descemetoceles and 2 deep ulcers) with a fibrin glue. Cicatrisation was obtained in 14 cases by this technic. In one case, cicatrisation was not satisfactory and penetrating keratoplasty was performed 3 days later. This method permits healing of the corneal perforation without the necessity of performing penetrating keratoplasty either if the perforation is distant from the visual axis or if penetrating keratoplasty is contraindicated. In other cases it permits a later penetrating keratoplasty to be performed an a quiet eye. We think this technic can be useful in corneal perforations less than 2 mm in diameter and in chronic deep ulcers difficult to heal.