Surgical Results of Repeated Trabeculectomy in Congenital Glaucoma

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate the surgical results of repeated trabeculectomy in primary congenital glaucoma. METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed the data of 16 patients (23 eyes) who underwent two or more trabeculectomies with or without mitomycin C for primary congenital glaucoma between 1990 and 2004. Surgical success rate and postoperative complications were assessed. The relationship between the use of mitomycin C and the surgical outcomes was also studied. RESULTS: Among the 23 eyes, 10 had a history of previously failed goniotomy or trabeculotomy and 6 eyes had undergone trabeculectomy more than 3 times. The overall success rate of repeated trabeculectomy was 63.9% and the success rate of the 14 eyes operated on with mitomycin C was not higher than that of the 9 eyes that did not receive mitomycin C (p=0.166). Two eyes were reported to have postoperative hypotony and there was one case of endophthalmitis after trabeculectomy; however, the use of mitomycin C did not increase the overall rate of surgical complication (p=1.00). CONCLUSIONS: Repeated trabeculectomy can be considered as a procedure to treat primary congenital glaucoma, particularly in severe cases of congenital glaucoma.