Is viscotrabeculotomy superior to conventional trabeculotomy in the management of Egyptian infants with congenital glaucoma?

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of viscotrabeculotomy in the management of congenital glaucoma as compared to conventional trabeculotomy, in Egyptian infants.

METHODS

This is a prospective interventional randomized comparative study in which patients with primary congenital glaucoma were randomly allocated to either group A or B; viscotrabeculotomy (VT); and trabeculotomy (T), respectively. Patients were followed up regarding intra-ocular pressure (IOP), cup/disc (C/D) ratio and horizontal corneal diameter (HCD) for 6 months. A probability value (p value) <0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

Twenty-one eyes in group A and 20 eyes in group B were enrolled in the study. The mean preoperative IOP was 23.5 and 24.3 mmHg in the VT and T groups, respectively. Postoperatively, IOP dropped at six months to 14.7 and 17 mmHg in the VT and T groups, respectively. That was significant in either group when compared to preoperative IOP, but not significant between both groups at the same point of comparison.

CONCLUSIONS

Both techniques were equally effective in the reduction in IOP in the management of congenital glaucoma, but viscotrabeculotomy did not appear to add more benefit to the surgical outcome than classic trabeculotomy.