Clinical Ophthalmology (Dec 2018)
Surgical outcomes associated with a sutureless drainage valve implantation procedure in patients with refractory glaucoma
Abstract
Caroline N Pham,1 Nathan M Radcliffe,1–3 Daniel M Vu2 1New York University, New York, NY, USA; 2Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA; 3New York Eye Surgery Center, New York, NY, USA Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy profile of a sutureless procedure for drainage valve implantation with combined cataract removal and/or endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECP).Materials and methods: A retrospective case series study of consecutive surgeries for Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV; New World Medical) implantation in a 1-year period was analyzed. The surgery was performed using a Tisseel fibrin sealant (Baxter Healthcare Corporation) in place of sutures. Some subsets within the case series also included a cataract extraction with intraocular lens (CEIOL) insertion and/or ECP (Endo Optiks) within the same procedure. Primary outcomes for this study including efficacy (IOP change, reduction in medications) and safety (complications and reoperations) were measured out to 3 years. Comparisons between subsets were made using ANOVA with post hoc Tukey’s pairwise tests.Results: One hundred twenty-two eyes of 99 patients underwent sutureless AGV implantation surgery. Of the 122, 18 had an AGV implantation only, 46 had an AGV + CEIOL, 35 had an AGV + ECP, and 23 had an AGV + CEIOL + ECP. In total, there was a significant decrease in IOP (P<0.0001) and number of glaucoma medications (P≤0.0054) at each postoperative visit. In a one-way ANOVA, there were no significant differences in mean IOP between the different subsets of surgeries (P>0.05); 10.7% and 14.8% of eyes required a reoperation either for a complication or for uncontrolled glaucoma, respectively.Conclusion: Sutureless valve implantation is associated with a significant reduction in IOP percentage and medication use after the procedure with a safety profile comparable with other glaucoma surgeries. Keywords: Ahmed glaucoma valve, glaucoma surgery, tube shunt surgery
