Purpose: To report the effect of 5-fluorouracil on the outcome of a single case of epithelial ingrowth secondary to a wound leak after a complicated penetrating keratoplasty.
Design: Case report.
Methods: A 44-year-old man with extensive epithelial ingrowth after trauma and a penetrating keratoplasty received a fluid-gas exchange followed by two injections of 500 microg of 5-fluorouracil into the anterior chamber.
Results: Two weeks after receiving the 5-fluorouracil injections, complete disappearance of the epithelial ingrowth from the anterior chamber occurred. No evidence of recurrence was detectable at 5 months.
Conclusion: Use of 5-fluorouracil is a potentially effective treatment of epithelial ingrowth, particularly in eyes with extensive involvement, in which the risks of traditional ablative therapeutic modalities are considerable.