Purpose: To compare the outcomes of the Aurolab aqueous drainage implant (AADI) placed in eyes with refractory primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) versus aphakic glaucoma (APG).
Design: Retrospective comparative interventional case series.
Methods: Case files of consecutive eyes with PCG or APG that underwent AADI surgery between January 2013 and December 2016 and had a minimum 4 years follow-up were extracted from a computerised database. Failure was defined as intraocular pressure (IOP)>21 mm Hg or reduced<20% below baseline on two consecutive follow-up visits after 3 months, IOP≤5 mm Hg on two consecutive follow-up visits after 3 months, reoperation for glaucoma or a complication, or loss of light perception.
Results: Eighty-nine eyes underwent AADI placement, including 42 eyes (47%) with PCG and 47 eyes (53%) with APG. Both groups were comparable at baseline. At 1 year, the APG group had lower mean IOP (13.6±8.1 mm Hg vs 17.6±7.5 mm Hg, p=0.02) with use of fewer IOP-lowering medications (0.8±1.0 vs 1.5±1.0, p=0.01) than the PCG group. The cumulative failure rate at 4 years was 57% (95% CI 43% to 72%) in PCG versus 40% (95% CI 28% to 56%) in the APG eyes (p=0.11). Eyes with PCG had greater tube-related complications (48% vs 38%, p=0.07) and number of reoperations (40% vs 32%, p=0.02) compared with eyes with APG.
Conclusions: Eyes with APG had relatively better outcomes after AADI placement compared with PCG during 4 years of follow-up. Reoperations accounted for more than 70% of the failures.
Keywords: Glaucoma; Intraocular pressure; Treatment Surgery.
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.