Treatment Outcomes of Slow Coagulation Transscleral Cyclophotocoagulation In Pseudophakic Patients with Medically Uncontrolled Glaucoma

Purpose: Reporting treatment outcomes of slow coagulation transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (TSCPC) as an initial surgical intervention in pseudophakic patients with glaucoma.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Methods: This single academic center study reviewed 74 pseudophakic patients who had a diagnosis of glaucoma and no previous glaucoma surgeries (mean age 82.6 ± 12.5 years; mean follow-up 18.7 ± 9.1 months). The intervention used was slow coagulation continuous wave TSCPC (1250-mW power and 4-second duration). The primary outcome measure was surgical success defined as an intraocular pressure (IOP) of 6-21 mm Hg with a ≥20% reduction from baseline, no reoperation for glaucoma, and no loss of light-perception vision. Secondary outcome measures included glaucoma medication use, visual acuity (VA), and complications.

Results: IOP decreased from 27.5 ± 9.8 mm Hg preoperatively to 16.1 ± 6.3 mm Hg postoperatively (P < .001). The preoperative number of glaucoma medications was 4.1 ± 0.9 and 3.1 ± 1.3 post-TSCPC (P < .001). The cumulative probabilities of success at 1 and 2 years were 60.6 % and 58.5%, respectively. When patients were divided into 2 groups based on their baseline IOP being >21 mm Hg (high group) or ≤21 mm Hg (low group), success rates at 2 years were 64.9% and 45.5%, respectively (P = .144). The mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution VA changed from 0.70 ± 0.64 to 1.04 ± 0.87 at the last follow-up visit (P = .01). No serious complications were observed and most of the complications were mild and transient.

Conclusions: Slow coagulation TSCPC has good efficiency, especially in patients with baseline IOP >21 mm Hg, and safety profile as an initial surgical intervention in pseudophakic patients with glaucoma.