Surgical outcomes of Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation in patients with glaucoma secondary to iridocorneal endothelial syndrome

Outcomes of Trabeculectomy and Ahmed Glaucoma Valve Implantation in Patients With Iridocorneal Endothelial Syndrome

PRCIS

Our study highlights the long-term success of trabeculectomy or Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) surgery in patients with glaucoma secondary to iridocorneal endothelial (ICE) syndrome. However, many ICE syndrome cases may need multiple glaucoma surgeries to achieve controlled intraocular pressure (IOP), with/without concomitant corneal graft surgery.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the long-term outcome of trabeculectomy and AGV implantation in ICE syndrome.

METHODS

Patients with glaucoma secondary to ICE syndrome who underwent either trabeculectomy or AGV surgery with intraoperative adjunctive mitomycin-C from 2009 to 2020 were included in this study. All patients were followed for at least 6 months after initial surgery. The main outcome measures were IOP, number of IOP-lowering medications, and surgical success. Surgical success was defined as complete according to the levels of IOP ( < 18) and at least 20% reduction from preoperative IOP without medications and qualified as a complete success but with medications, where the number of medications was less than preoperative numbers. Cumulative success was the sum of the qualified and complete success.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine eyes of 29 patients were included. Trabeculectomy was done in 13 patients (group A, 44.8%) and 16 patients underwent AGV surgery (group B, 55.2%). The median age was 50 (42-56.50) and 47 (36.75-52.75) years in groups A and B, respectively ( P = 0.10). All patients completed at least 2 years of follow-up. Mean IOP was not significantly different between groups preoperatively ( P = 0.70) and the effect of the type of surgery on IOP was not statistically significant at multiple follow-up time points (repeated measures analysis of variance, P = 0.44). The mean IOP decreased from 35.76 ± 6.36 mm Hg preoperatively to 16.00 ± 3.10 in group A and from 36.12 ± 8.11 mm Hg to 17.00 ± 3.75 in group B ( P = 0.449) at year 2 of follow-up. The effect of the type of surgery was not significant on the total number of IOP-lowering medications used throughout the study (repeated measures analysis of variance, P = 0.81). Kaplan-Meier analysis shows complete success in 14 patients (48.3%), 11 patients (37.9%), and 7 patients (24.1%) at 6-month, 1-year, and 2-year follow-up, respectively. The cumulative success rate was 95% at 2 years follow-up for all patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In 2-year follow-up, trabeculectomy or AGV significantly reduced the IOP in glaucoma patients secondary to ICE syndrome.

Ex-PRESS shunt combined with ab-interno peripheral iridectomy: A new surgical procedure for iridocorneal endothelial syndrome

Purpose

Iridocorneal endothelial (ICE) syndrome may cause refractory glaucoma due to progressive synechial closure or membrane formation at the anterior chamber angle. Filtration surgeries are often required but are associated with a higher rate of surgical failure or complications than other types of glaucoma. Herein, we report a new and effective surgical procedure for glaucoma secondary to ICE syndrome: Ex-PRESS shunt combined with ab-interno peripheral iridectomy using a small-gauge vitreous cutter.

Methods

Three patients with ICE syndrome who underwent surgery were included. Intraoperatively, an ab-interno peripheral iridectomy was performed using a small-gauge vitreous cutter through a corneal incision in the superior-nasal or superior-temporal quadrants to create space for the insertion of Ex-PRESS shunt free from the iris tissue. The shunt was inserted under the scleral flap. The first patient underwent combined cataract surgery, whereas patients 2 (pseudophakia) and 3 (phakia) underwent Ex-PRESS alone.

Results

No intraoperative complications were observed. The intraocular pressure remained stable until the final postoperative visits at approximately 7, 4, and 1 year in Cases 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Case 2, with mild preoperative corneal edema due to graft failure in Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), underwent reDSAEK 6 months postoperatively.

Conclusions and importance

Ex-PRESS shunt combined with ab-interno peripheral iridectomy using a small-gauge vitreous cutter may be a safe and effective surgical procedure in patients with ICE syndrome, regardless of the lens status.

Nanofiber-based glaucoma drainage implant improves surgical outcomes by modulating fibroblast behavior

Biomaterials are implanted in millions of individuals worldwide each year. Both naturally derived and synthetic biomaterials induce a foreign body reaction that often culminates in fibrotic encapsulation and reduced functional lifespan. In ophthalmology, glaucoma drainage implants (GDIs) are implanted in the eye to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) in order to prevent glaucoma progression and vision loss. Despite recent efforts towards miniaturization and surface chemistry modification, clinically available GDIs are susceptible to high rates of fibrosis and surgical failure. Here, we describe the development of synthetic, nanofiber-based GDIs with partially degradable inner cores. We evaluated GDIs with nanofiber or smooth surfaces to investigate the effect of surface topography on implant performance. We observed in vitro that nanofiber surfaces supported fibroblast integration and quiescence, even in the presence of pro-fibrotic signals, compared to smooth surfaces. In rabbit eyes, GDIs with a nanofiber architecture were biocompatible, prevented hypotony, and provided a volumetric aqueous outflow comparable to commercially available GDIs, though with significantly reduced fibrotic encapsulation and expression of key fibrotic markers in the surrounding tissue. We propose that the physical cues provided by the surface of the nanofiber-based GDIs mimic healthy extracellular matrix structure, mitigating fibroblast activation and potentially extending functional GDI lifespan.

Outcomes of the Aurolab aqueous drainage implant and trabeculectomy with mitomycin C in iridocorneal endothelial syndrome

PURPOSE

To compare the surgical outcomes of the Aurolab aqueous drainage implant (AADI) and trabeculectomy with mitomycin C (MMC) in patients with glaucoma secondary to iridocorneal endothelial (ICE) syndrome.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective comparative case series included 41 eyes of 41 patients with ICE syndrome and glaucoma who underwent either a trabeculectomy with MMC (n = 20) or AADI surgery (n = 21) with a minimum of 2 years follow-up. Outcome measures included intraocular pressure (IOP), the use of glaucoma medications, visual acuity, additional surgical interventions, and surgical complications. Surgical failure was defined as IOP > 21 mmHg or reduced < 20% from baseline, IOP ≤ 5 mmHg, reoperation for glaucoma or a complication, or loss of light perception vision.

RESULTS

The cumulative probability of failure at 2 years was 50% in the trabeculectomy group (95%CI = 31-83%) and 24% in the AADI group (95%CI = 11-48%) (p = 0.09). The IOP was consistently lower in the AADI group compared with the trabeculectomy group at 6 months and thereafter. Surgical complications occurred in 13 eyes (65%) in the trabeculectomy group and 12 eyes (57%) in the AADI group (p = 0.71). Reoperations for glaucoma or complications were performed in 12 eyes (60%) in the trabeculectomy group and 5 patients (24%) in the tube group (p = 0.06). Cox proportional hazards showed that AADI had a 53% lower risk of failure at 2 years (p = 0.18; HR = 0.47; 95%CI = 0.16-1.40).

CONCLUSION

AADI surgery achieved lower mean IOPs than trabeculectomy with MMC in managing glaucoma secondary to ICE syndrome. A trend toward lower rates of surgical failure and reoperations for glaucoma and complications was observed following AADI placement compared with trabeculectomy with MMC in eyes with ICE syndrome.

Achieving inner aqueous drain in glaucoma secondary to iridocorneal endothelial syndrome: One year results of penetrating canaloplasty

PURPOSES

To report the efficacy of a bleb-independent penetrating canaloplasty in the management of glaucoma secondary to iridocorneal endothelial syndrome (GS-ICE).

DESIGN

Prospective, non-comparative clinical study.

METHODS

Penetrating canaloplasty was performed on 35 eyes from 35 patients with GS-ICE and medically uncontrolled IOP between January 2018 and April 2020. Patients were followed up at one week, month 1, 3, 6, 12 postoperatively, and semi-annually thereafter. Intraocular pressure (IOP), number of anti-glaucoma medication and surgery-related complications were recorded. Surgical success was defined as IOP ≥5 and ≤21mmHg without (complete success) or with/without (qualified success) IOP-lowering medications.

RESULTS

A total of 29 eyes (82.9%) had 360° catheterization and successfully received penetrating canaloplasty. Of these eyes, 24 (82.8%) achieved qualified success and 22 (75.9%) achieved qualified success at 12 months after surgery. The mean IOP decreased from 39.5±11.8 mmHg on 2.9±1.0 medications before surgery to 16.6±5.3 mmHg (P<0.001) on 0.2±0.6 medications (P<0.001) at 12 months post-operation, respectively. Hyphema (37.9%), transient hypotony (34.5%) and transient post-operative IOP elevation (≥30mmHg, 17.9%) were the most commonly observed early complications at the one week and one month visits. From one month and beyond, all treated eyes showed no obvious bleb at the operation quadrant.

CONCLUSIONS

Penetrating canaloplasty rescued the inner aqueous outflow in ICE eyes and demonstrated quite acceptable success in IOP control with few complications, providing a new option for the management of GS-ICE.

Ex-PRESS® implant as the first surgical option in the iridocorneal endothelial syndrome

Our purpose is to report the intermediate-term results of the Ex-PRESS® implant as the first surgical option in patients with Iridocorneal Endothelial (ICE) Syndrome. We describe two patients diagnosed from ICE syndrome with medically uncontrolled glaucoma and finally treated with an Ex-PRESS® implant, associating a cataract surgery in one of them. Three years after surgery, intraocular pressure remains stable without any additional medical antiglaucomatous treatment, with a well-located implant surrounded by a diffuse filtering bleb and no sight-threatening adverse events have been documented. In addition, no progression of the disease has been registered. This report encourage the Ex-PRESS® implant to be considered the first surgical option in this patients as it allows a permeable ostium in spite of the progressive synechial angle closure typical of the ICE syndrome.

Ex-PRESS® implant as the first surgical option in the iridocorneal endothelial syndrome

Our purpose is to report the intermediate-term results of the Ex-PRESS® implant as the first surgical option in patients with Iridocorneal Endothelial (ICE) Syndrome. We describe two patients diagnosed from ICE syndrome with medically uncontrolled glaucoma and finally treated with an Ex-PRESS® implant, associating a cataract surgery in one of them. Three years after surgery, intraocular pressure remains stable without any additional medical antiglaucomatous treatment, with a well-located implant surrounded by a diffuse filtering bleb and no sight-threatening adverse events have been documented. In addition, no progression of the disease has been registered. This report encourage the Ex-PRESS® implant to be considered the first surgical option in this patients as it allows a permeable ostium in spite of the progressive synechial angle closure typical of the ICE syndrome.