Failure of filtration operations in the African.

Abstract

Filtration operations in Negroes and in other heavily-pigmented races have earned a bad reputation for a high rate of failure, but it is difficult to estimate the extent of this failure because it is difficult if not impossible to achieve an adequate follow-up in these cases (McNair, I95I; Welsh, I969). Iliff (I944) reported a success rate of 23 per cent. with trephine operations and of 50 per cent. with iridencleisis. Berson, Zauberman, Landau, and Blumenthal (I969), in a series of I I9 African patients, found a success rate of 39 per cent. for trephines, 26 per cent. for Scheie procedures, and 4 per cent. for iridencleisis. Our success rate is also roughly 30 to 50 per cent. (trephine and Scheie operations). In white patients on the other hand, Friedenwald (1950) reported a success rate of 80 to go per cent. and Scheie (I962) of more than go per cent.