Early weaning versus prolonged administration of aqueous suppressants for prevention of hyperencapsulation in paediatric Ahmed glaucoma valve.

PURPOSE:

To investigate the role of early and prolonged administration of aqueous suppressants in reduction of hyperencapsulation and intraocular pressure (IOP) control after paediatric Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) implantation.

METHODS:

A prospective randomized interventional study recruited children who had AGV implantation for paediatric glaucoma. All patients received postoperative Timolol 0.5% for either 12 months (Group A) or 3 months (Group B). Additional IOP-reducing medications were added if IOP exceeded 21 mmHg or hyperencapsulation developed in either group. Primary outcome measures were rate of hyperencapsulation and reduction of IOP.

RESULTS:

Eighty sex children completed the 12-month follow-up visits. Baseline IOP was significantly reduced from 31.95 ± 9.1 to 16.94 ± 3.4 mmHg at 12 months in Group A and from 32.7 ± 7.4 to 19.85 ± 6.9 mmHg at 12 months in Group B. IOP was significantly lower in Group A than B at 6-, 9- and 12-month follow-up visits. In the first 4 months, the hyperencapsulation rate was similar in both Group A (six eyes, 13.3%) and Group B (seven eyes, 17.1%). However, the hyperencapsulation rate was significantly lower in Group A than B at both 6 months (22.5% versus 36.6%) and 12 months (31.1% versus 46.3%). Anti-glaucoma medications were significantly lower in Group A than B at both 6 months (1.3 versus 3.2 drugs) and 12 months (1.5 versus 3.6 drugs).

CONCLUSION:

Early and prolonged use of aqueous suppressants significantly reduced the rate of hyperencapsulation and provided better IOP control after paediatric AGV implantation.