Evaluation of the efficacy of laser peripheral iridoplasty in reversing the darkroom provocative test result in Chinese patients with primary angle closure status post laser iridotomy

AIM: To investigate the efficacy and safety of krypton laser peripheral iridoplasty(LPIP) for Chinese patients with primary angle closure(PAC) or primary angle-closure glaucoma(PACG) status post laser iridotomy in reversing the positive results of the dark room provocative test(DRPT).METHODS: This study was prospective, noncomparative,interventional case series. Thirty-three patients(thirty-eight eyes) with PAC or PACG status post patent laser iridotomy and maintained normal intraocular pressure(IOP) but with positive DRPT results were enrolled. All the subjects were treated with krypton LPIP. DRPT was repeated after krypton LPIP. Results of DRPT were recorded. The visual acuity, IOP and gonioscopy were analyzed before and after krypton LPIP. A minimum time limit for follow-up was 6mo.RESULTS: Thirty-three patients(thirty-eight eyes)were followed for 17.7 ±8.37mo(range 7-41mo) after LPIP. Positive results of DRPT decreased from 38 eyes to9 eyes(23.7%) after LPIP. Peripheral anterior synechiae of angle in 34 of 38 eyes(89.5%) remained unchanged at dynamic gonioscopy throughout the follow-up period after LPIP.CONCLUSION: LPIP decreased positive rates of the DRPT significantly. The mechanism may be that LPIP minimized contact between the peripheral iris and trabecular meshwork, which is a key factor for developing peripheral anterior synechiae.

Efficacy of laser peripheral iridoplasty and iridotomy on medically refractory patients with acute primary angle closure： a three year outcome

Background Argon laser peripheral iridoplasty （ALPI） is proved to be effective in lowering intraocular pressure （lOP） of patients with mild acute primary angle closure （APAC）. It is unclear whether this laser treatment is equally efficient in managing patients with severe APAC. This study aimed peripheral iridotomy （LPI） on patients with refractory APAC, therapy. to evaluate the IOP-lowering efficacy of ALPI and laser who have previously responded poorly to intensive medical Methods Thirty-six patients （8 men and 28 women） were identified as medically refractory APAC, who still had ocular pain, red eye, hazy cornea, closed anterior chamber （AC） angle, and lOP of not less than 21 mmHg after two days or more of anti-glaucoma medication. All enrolled patients underwent ophthalmologic examinations including measurement of visual acuity （VA）, best corrected VA （BCVA）, lOP, biomicroscopy, and gonioscopy followed by ALPI immediately in the APAC eye and LPI in both eyes. Results All patients were affected unilaterally, with average age of （54.6±11.7） （range, 37.0-75.0） years old. The mean lOP value of the affected eyes dropped from （31.6±7.7） （range, 21.0-39.0） mmHg at enrollment to （18.4±8.7） （range, 10.0-27.0） mmHg 2 hours after ALPI. At follow-up day 7, the mean lOP value maintained at （14.8±4.2） （range, 9.0-21.0） mmHg, which was significantly different （P=0.000） compared with baseline. The average decrease of lOP in the APAC eyes was （16.8±7.4） （range, 12.0-21.0） mmHg. At follow-up three years later, the mean lOP of the APAC eyes stabilized at （16.3±3.2） （range, 9.0-20.0） mmHg with at least 180° of AC angle opened. Conclusion ALPI and LPI lower the lOP of medically refractory cases of APAC though they have responded poorly to anti-glaucoma medication.