Glaucoma tube shunt implantation through the ciliary sulcus in pseudophakic eyes with high risk of corneal decompensation

Purpose: To summarize our clinical experience with implanting Baerveldt glaucoma tube shunts through the ciliary sulcus in eyes with a posterior chamber intraocular lens and shallow anterior chambers, corneal transplants, guttata or edema. Patients And Methods: A retrospective interventional nonrandomized noncomparative case series. Main outcome measure was postoperative corneal status. Secondary outcome measures included postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP), visual acuity and complications. Results: Thirty-six eyes of 32 patients were identified through chart review. Follow-up period was 21.8±16.6 months (mean±standard deviation, range: 4.0 to 58.5?mo). At final visit, all 23 preoperative clear native corneas and 6 of 7 corneal transplants remained clear. Thus, of the 30 preoperative clear corneas, only 1 decompensated. Preoperative IOP was 27.9±11.8?mm Hg (range: 12 to 59mm Hg), reduced postoperatively to 10.1±3.9?mm Hg (range: 2 to 21mm Hg, P=0.0001), a reduction of 58.2%±19.3% (range: 5.0% to 95.4%). Final IOP was 5 and ≤21?mm Hg in 33 of 36 eyes (91.7%). It was lowered by 30% or more in 34 of 36 eyes (94.4%). Conclusions: Although previously published studies demonstrated a significant risk of corneal decompensation after angle or pars plana tube implantation, our clinical experience suggests that ciliary sulcus tube implantation in eyes with a posterior chamber intraocular lens is a safe and effective procedure even in eyes with high risk of corneal decompensation.