Outflow Enhancement by Three Different Ab Interno Trabeculectomy Procedures in a Porcine Anterior Segment Model

Purpose: To evaluate three different microincisional ab interno trabeculectomy procedures in a porcine eye perfusion model.

Methods: In perfused porcine anterior segments, 90° of trabecular meshwork (TM) was ablated using the Trabectome (T; n = 8), Goniotome (G; n = 8), or Kahook device (K; n = 8). After 24 h, additional 90° of TM was removed. Intraocular pressure (IOP) and outflow facility were measured at 5 and 10 μl/min perfusion to simulate an elevated IOP. Structure and function were assessed with canalograms and histology.

Results: At 5 μl/min infusion rate, T resulted in a greater IOP reduction than G or K from baseline (76.12% decrease versus 48.19% and 47.96%, P = 0.013). IOP reduction between G and K was similar (P = 0.420). Removing another 90° of TM caused an additional IOP reduction only in T and G but not in K. Similarly, T resulted in the largest increase in outflow facility at 5 μl/min compared with G and K (first ablation, 3.41 times increase versus 1.95 and 1.87; second ablation, 4.60 versus 2.50 and 1.74) with similar results at 10 μl/min (first ablation, 3.28 versus 2.29 and 1.90 (P = 0.001); second ablation, 4.10 versus 3.01 and 2.01 (P = 0.001)). Canalograms indicated circumferential flow beyond the ablation endpoints.

Conclusions: T, G, and K significantly increased the outflow facility. In this model, T had a larger effect than G and K.