Surgical Outcomes of Visco-Circumferential-Suture-Trabeculotomy Versus Rigid Probe Trabeculotomy in Primary Congenital Glaucoma: A 3-Year Randomized Controlled Study.

PURPOSE: The aim was to compare the long-term surgical outcomes of visco-circumferential-suture-trabeculotomy (VCST) and rigid probe viscotrabeculotomy (VT) in patients with primary congenital glaucoma (PCG).

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

The study was conducted on 84 (47 right) eyes of 49 (32 males) children PCG to the pediatric ophthalmology unit of Mansoura Ophthalmic Center of Mansoura University, Egypt between 2015 and 2018. An initial office examination was followed by an examination under general anesthesia to establish the diagnosis of PCG. The children were then scheduled for surgery and the eyes randomly assigned to VCST or VT. Follow-up visits were scheduled at the first day, first week, first, and third months and then every 3 months for 1 year.

RESULTS

The mean±SD age of the study children at presentation was 4.8±2.1 and 4.9±1.7 months in the VCST and the VT groups, respectively (P=0.827). The mean±SD preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) was 29.13±3.3 and 29.89±3.2 mm Hg in the VCST and VT groups, respectively (P=0.292) and 11.9±1.3 and 13.8±1.2 mm Hg at the end of 36 moths of follow-up (P<0.001). The IOP at all follow-up time points (except at the third month, P=0.924) was statistically significantly less in the VCST group than in the VT group (at week 1, month 1, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 the P<0.001). The cumulative probability of success was 100%, 95%, 90%, and 90%, respectively in VSCT and 100%, 72.7%, 97.7%, 90.9%, and 84% in VT at 12, 24, 30, and 36 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Both VCST and VT were effective and safe for lowering the IOP in PCG with VCST providing a marginal advantage over VT.