[Treatment success of canaloplasty and trabeculectomy by the same surgeon with the same level of experience in the long-term course]. / Therapieerfolg von Kanaloplastik und Trabekulektomie durch denselben Operateur mit demselben Erfahrungslevel im Langzeitverlauf.

BACKGROUND: Trabeculectomy (TE) with the use of antimetabolites is the standard procedure in glaucoma surgery, whereas canaloplasty (CP) is a nonpenetrating and potentially less invasive alternative. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this retrospective case series was to compare the long-term success of CP and TE under the same conditions and with the same levels of experience of the surgeon as well as to investigate whether preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) and postoperative IOP correlate with eachother. METHODS: The study included 57 eyes that underwent either CP or TE (CP n = 27; male = 50.0% age 60.7 ± 13.2 years; TE n = 30; male = 55.6% age 68.0 ± 9.1 years). Each of the procedures was performed by the same surgeon with comparable levels of experience. The comparison included preoperative and postoperative visual field damage, preoperative and postoperative IOP (mm Hg) after 1 and 6 weeks, 6 and 12 months as well as in the long-term course (1-3 years) and the necessary local treatment at the corresponding times. RESULTS: With both methods no worsening of the visual field could be detected and the patient groups showed comparable preoperative and postoperative mean deviations (MD). The CP showed a positive correlation between preoperative and postoperative 1­year IOP (r = 0.4; p = 0.022), whereas TE showed no significant correlation between preoperative and postoperative IOP. The count of local antiglaucoma medication in long-term comparison (1-3 years after surgery) was higher after CP than after TE (1.5 ± 1.6 vs. 0.5 ± 0.8; p = 0.003). In both groups there were no severe postoperative complications. The overall success rates (without treatment) were higher at all time points after TE. DISCUSSION: With both methods conducted by the same surgeon with the same levels of experience, an effective reduction of the IOP was achieved. It seems that the higher the preoperative IOP before CP, the higher the achievable pressure after 1 year and in the long term. In contrast, after TE the IOP was effectively reduced in the long term regardless of the initial IOP. The CP seems to be inferior to TE under the same conditions with respect to complete surgical success (without local treatment).

Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Variability in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma and Normal Tension Glaucoma.

PURPOSE: Vascular dysfunction and ischemia are believed to play an important part in the pathogenesis of glaucoma and especially of normal tension glaucoma (NTG). The aim of the present study was to analyze the blood pressure (BP) and heart rate variability patterns in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and NTG compared with controls. METHODS: In total, 37 patients with POAG, 27 patients with NTG, and 82 control subjects were included in a prospective clinical validation study. Continuous BP and heart rate were simultaneously recorded over 30 min (Glaucoscreen, aviant GmbH, Jena, Germany) under resting conditions. Time series of heart rate, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were extracted and analyzed calculating univariate linear (time domain, frequency domain), nonlinear (symbolic dynamics), and bivariate (joint symbolic dynamics) indices. RESULTS: Overall, 12 parameters could be identified that were significantly different when comparing POAG patients and controls, whereas 80 parameters were significantly different in NTG patients compared with controls. The optimum set consisting of three indices showed a sensitivity of 81.5% at a specificity of 86.6% for NTG patients compared with a sensitivity of 62.2% at a specificity of 82.9% for POAG patients. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations in BP variability and coupling with heart rate suggest impaired patterns of autonomic cardiovascular regulation in glaucoma patients especially in patients with NTG.

Three-Year Follow-Up of Trabeculectomy with 5-Fluorouracil.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term outcome of trabeculectomy with intra- and postoperative 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) application in glaucoma. METHODS: Eighty-six patients with glaucoma planned for primary trabeculectomy with 5-FU and a minimum follow-up of 3 years were retrospectively analyzed. Success rates, postsurgical 5-FU injections, needling procedures, and complications were analyzed. RESULTS: Mean intraocular pressure (IOP) decreased from 27.2 ± 6.7 to 13.2 ± 4.2 mm Hg at 1 year and 13.8 ± 3.7 mm Hg at the 3-year follow-up. The complete success rates (no IOP-lowering medication) were 83, 79, 73, and 45% at 1 year for IOP ≤21, ≤18, ≤16, and ≤12 mm Hg, respectively, and 64, 59, 56, and 20% for these criteria at 3 years. The average number of medications decreased from preoperatively 2.9 ± 1.4 to 0.2 ± 0.5 at 1 year and 0.7 ± 1.1 at 3 years. During the first 6 months, subconjunctival 5-FU injections were performed in 49 cases. Eleven patients underwent bleb needling during the first 6 months and 13 patients underwent the procedure between the 6th month and the 3rd year. Malignant glaucoma and bleb-related endophthalmitis occurred in 1 patient each. CONCLUSIONS: Trabeculectomy with 5-FU is an efficient surgical procedure for glaucoma treatment when combined with intensified postsurgical care.