Background and objective: To study the intermediate-term results of the Baerveldt glaucoma drainage device with adjunctive use of intraoperative mitomycin C.
Patients and methods: Charts of 243 consecutive patients with advanced glaucoma who had undergone tube shunt surgery between 1992 and 1999 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 64 patients were eligible for the study. Patients were observed for a mean of 34.3 +/- 21 months. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to determine intermediate-term success.
Results: The mean preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) was 34.4 mm Hg and the 1-year postoperative IOP was 16.6 mm Hg. The mean percent IOP reduction after surgery was 51.7%, 53.2%, and 51.4% at 1, 2, and 5 years, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a 77% success rate at 1 year, 66% at 2 years, and 59% at 5 years. The most common complication was choroidal detachment (18.8%).
Conclusion: The use of mitomycin C with Baerveldt implantation showed IOP control equivalent to that without mitomycin C at intermediate follow-up.