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. 2013 Jun;27(6):728-34.
doi: 10.1038/eye.2013.51. Epub 2013 Apr 12.

Polypropylene vs silicone Ahmed valve with adjunctive mitomycin C in paediatric age group: a prospective controlled study

Y El Sayed  1 , A Awadein
Affiliations

Polypropylene vs silicone Ahmed valve with adjunctive mitomycin C in paediatric age group: a prospective controlled study

Y El Sayed et al. Eye (Lond). 2013 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: To compare the results of silicone and polypropylene Ahmed glaucoma valves (AGV) implanted during the first 10 years of life.

Methods: A prospective study was performed on 50 eyes of 33 patients with paediatric glaucoma. Eyes were matched to either polypropylene or silicone AGV. In eyes with bilateral glaucoma, one eye was implanted with polypropylene and the other eye was implanted with silicone AGV.

Results: Fifty eyes of 33 children were reviewed. Twenty five eyes received a polypropylene valve, and 25 eyes received a silicone valve. Eyes implanted with silicone valves achieved a significantly lower intraocular pressure (IOP) compared with the polypropylene group at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years postoperatively. The average survival time was significantly longer (P=0.001 by the log-rank test) for the silicone group than for the polypropylene group and the cumulative probability of survival by the log-rank test at the end of the second year was 80% (SE: 8.0, 95% confidence interval (CI): 64-96%) in the silicone group and 56% (SE: 9.8, 95% CI: 40-90%) in the polypropylene group. The difference in the number of postoperative interventions and complications between both groups was statistically insignificant.

Conclusion: Silicone AGVs can achieve better IOP control, and longer survival with less antiglaucoma drops compared with polypropylene valves in children younger than 10 years.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Histogram showing the age distribution of the included patients in the study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Survival curves for the polypropylene and silicone AGV show a longer survival for silicone AGV after implantation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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