Ahmed Valve Implantation with Adjunctive Mitomycin C and 5-Fluorouracil: Outcomes at 2 Years

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcomes of Ahmed valve implantation in neovascular glaucoma patients who received intraoperative mitomycin C (MMC) and postoperative 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) after 24 months of follow-up. METHODS: A total of 40 eyes from 40 patients with neovascular glaucoma who received antiglaucomatous medication without previous glaucoma surgery were included in the present study. The patients were divided into 2 groups. The control group (20 eyes) underwent Ahmed valve implantation only and the study group (20 eyes) underwent Ahmed valve implantation and received intraoperative MMC and postoperative 5-FU. Failure was defined as the first occurrence of any of the following 1) the first of 3 consecutive visits where intraocular pressure (IOP) was over 18 mmHg; 2) 20% IOP reduction from baseline; 3) the final number of topical medications was not reduced by at least two from baseline; 4) the need for additional surgery; or 5) the occurrence of a serious complication. RESULTS: In the control group, the cumulative success rate was 19.1% at 24 months. The cumulative success rate in the study group was 43.7% at 24 months. Serious complications such as endophthalmitis, valve exposure, or prolonged hypotony were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: The adjunctive use of intraoperative MMC and postoperative 5-FU with Ahmed valve implantation resulted in a high success rate and good IOP control and did not cause serious complications during the follow-up period.