Fabio Bernardi Daga

To report the surgical outcomes of patients with primary congenital glaucoma who underwent gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy. This retrospective, noncomparative, interventional study included consecutive patients with primary congenital glaucoma with uncontrolled intraocular pressure undergoing gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy between January 2017 and January 2020. The included participants were followed up for at least 24 months, and only one surgeon performed all the procedures. The number of glaucoma medications, pre- and postoperative intraocular pressure, treatment extension (in quadrants), surgical complications, and any associated events or interventions were documented. This study included 13 eyes from 10 patients (mean age, 4.5 ± 3.2 years; range, 3 months to 10 years). After a 24-month follow-up, the mean intraocular pressure significantly decreased from 26.1 ± 3.7 to 11.8 ± 2.5 mmHg (p<0.001). The mean number of glaucoma medications was reduced from 3.3 ± 0.5 to 0.85 ± 1.0 (p<0.001). At the end of the follow-up interval, all eyes (13 out of 13) had an intraocular pressure between 7 and 15 mmHg. In 11 of 13 eyes (84.6%), gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy was performed in all quadrants (360º). The most frequent postoperative complication was transitory (self-limited) hyphema (7 out of 13 eyes [53.8%]). No sight-threatening adverse events occurred during the entire follow-up period. The 2-year follow-up results indicated gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy as an efficient and safe option for primary congenital glaucoma treatment with minimal postoperative complications.

To investigate the reduction in corneal endothelial cell density associated with gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT) in a short-term follow-up period. A retrospective analysis of the medical charts of patients with open-angle glaucoma who underwent gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy isolated or combined with phacoemulsification (phaco-gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy) was conducted. Patients who underwent phacoemulsification alone were included as controls. The endothelial cell density data (assessed using a specular microscope) before and at the first month after operation were collected and then compared. Sixty-two eyes previously treated with gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy, n=39 eyes; phaco-gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy, n=23 eyes) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The mean age of the study patients was 61.3 ± 18.4 years in the stand-alone gonioscopyassisted transluminal trabeculotomy group and 60.4 ± 11.9 in phaco-gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy group. Men comprised 66.6% of the patients in the isolated gonioscopyassisted transluminal trabeculotomy group and 56.5% of those in the phaco-gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy group. The mean visual field defects (mean deviation index) were -13.9 ± 9.2 and -10.3 ± 7.7 dB in the isolated gonioscopy-assisted and phaco-gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy groups, respectively. The patients in the former group presented a mean endothelial cell density reduction of 28.8 cells/mm² (1.31%; p=0.467). In the latter group, the mean endothelial cell density loss was 89.4 cells/mm² (4.36%; p=0.028). The control eyes (23 patients) presented a mean endothelial cell density change of 114.1 ± 159.8 cells/mm² (4.41%; p=0.505). The endothelial cell density reduction in the phaco-gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy group was not significantly different from that in the controls (p=0.81). Gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy appears to be a safe procedure for the corneal endothelial cell layer when performed either isolated or combined with cataract extraction in a short-term follow-up period.

Purpose: To report the initial 2 years’ learning curve on gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy performed using the thermally blunted suture technique and review the factors that could potentially affect the outcome. Methods: This retrospective study evaluated 100 eyes from 89 participants with glaucoma resistant to maximum clinical treatment, which was defined as having an intraocular pressure >21 mmHg in addition to three or four different hypotensive drugs. Intraocular pressure values at baseline, 1 week, and at 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months of follow-up and details regarding the need of antiglaucoma medication and further glaucoma surgery were recorded. Eyes that required further surgical intervention for intraocular pressure control were considered as failure. Results: A total of 51 eyes were subjected to isolated gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy, and 49 eyes were subjected to gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy + cataract extraction at the same surgical time. A statistically significant difference was observed between overall mean follow-up intraocular pressure and mean preoperative intraocular pressure (p<0.001) in all follow-up visits. When the extent of treatment was evaluated, patients with an extension of 360° did not exhibit statistically significantly lower mean intraocular pressure than those with other extensions. Hyphema was the only complication presented in 50 eyes (50%), but all had spontaneous resolution within 4 weeks. A total of 26 eyes (26%) required additional conventional trabeculectomy due to uncontrolled intraocular pressure, especially those who previously underwent vitreoretinal surgery. Conclusions: Gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy, besides being an apparently safe procedure, results in satisfactory success rates even during the surgeon’s initial learning curve. The technique was effective in decreasing intraocular pressure and medication burden.