Baerveldt glaucoma implant with Supramid© ripcord stent in neovascular glaucoma: a case series

AIM:To report the outcome of Baerveldt glaucoma implant(BGI)with Supramid©ripcord use in neovascular glaucoma(NVG).METHODS:We retrospectively evaluated the surgical outcome of the BGI with Supramid©3/0 ripcord stent in patients with NVG.No tube ligation or venting slits were performed.Supramid was removed after 3mo if the target intraocular pressure(IOP)was not achieved.Surgical success was defined as IOP≤21 mm Hg with(qualified success)or without IOP-lowering medications(complete success).RESULTS:Twenty-six eyes from 24 patients were included in the study.The median duration of follow-up was 4[interquartile range(IQR)=1-5]y,ranging from 0.5 to 5y.IOP decreased by a mean of 24.2 mm Hg(59.7%);from a mean of 40.5±12.6 mm Hg at baseline to 16.3±11.9 mm Hg,P≤0.001.The number of glaucoma medications reduced from a median of 5(IQR=5-6)to 1(IQR=0-2,P≤0.001)at the final follow-up.Overall success rates were 88.0%at 1y,34.8%at 3y,66.7%at 4y,and 50%at 5y.Hypertensive phase(HP)in the first 3mo occurred in 15/26 eyes(57.7%)with a mean IOP of 31.1 mm Hg.CONCLUSION:BGI with Supramid©ripcord stent gives close to 90%of the overall survival rate at the final follow-up without significant early hypotony.However,early HP is still a challenge.