Abstract
Purpose: :
To describe short term outcomes of Ahmed Glaucoma Valve implantation in East African patients.
Methods: :
In this multi-center retrospective observational case series we reviewed eyes of patients with refractory glaucoma treated consecutively with Ahmed Glaucoma Valve implant in two centers in Kenya between January 2006 and October 2007. Success was defined as intraocular pressure [IOP] between 6 mmHg and 21 mmHg with or without glaucoma medications, without further glaucoma surgery and without loss of light perception.
Results: :
25 cases were identified that included 18 [72%] pediatric eyes and 7 [28%] adult eyes. Short term result with a median of 2 months [IQR - 1 - 12 months] are presented. IOP was reduced from a mean of 36.44mmHg before surgery to 18.6mmHg at the most recent follow-up after surgery. The average percentage IOP lowering was 49.2%. The number of anti-glaucoma medications was lowered from a mean of 1.32 before surgery to 0.2 after surgery. The success rate during short term follow-up was 79%. The mean visual acuity dropped slightly from 20/60 [logMAR - 0.3563, sd - 0.2414] pre-operatively to 20/80 [logMAR - 0.445, sd - 0.307]. There was only one major complication of an extruded, infected valve that resulted in removal of the implant in a pediatric patient. There were no any other significant complications.
Conclusions: :
The Ahmed Valve Implant is effective in lowering IOP for the short term in East African patients with refractory glaucoma who were included in this study. It is not associated with significant major complications during this period. Further study with a large number of patients and longer term follow-up is needed in this population.
Keywords: aqueous • anterior segment