DEEP SCLERECTOMY (DS) vs DEEP SCLERECTOMY WITH MMC (DSMMC)

                   V.P. Kozobolis, E. Christodoulakis and I.G. Pallikaris

Glaucoma Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Crete, Greece

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of DS with MMC and to compare the results to DS without the use of MMC.

Methods: Seventy two eyes of 72 patients suffering from POAG and PEXG underwent DS. The first 38 eyes underwent DS without the use of MMC (DS group) and the rest (34 eyes) underwent DS with the application of MMC (DSMMC group) in concentration of 0.2 mg / ml for 2.5 minutes, before the superficial scleral flap formation.

Results: The IOP decreased from 25.92 + 3.79 to 17.70 + 3.07mmHg in the DS group and from 27.23 + 4.29 to 16.75 + 2.60mmHg in the DSMMC group. The mean number of medication also decreased from 3.05 + 0.77 drugs to 1.11 + 0.32 in the DS group and from 2.85 + 0.70 drugs to 1 in the DSMMC group. The follow – up period was 24 months for both groups.

Regarding the complications (in the DS and DSMMC respectively), choroidal detachment was found in 13.15% and 17.14%, hypheama in 10.52% and 8.57% and leakage in 1 eye in the DSMMC group.

Conclusions: The addition of MMC seems to support a more satisfactory result in a such surgical approach since the main problem encountered is the healing response.