Surgical Glaucoma Treatment in Patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis-Associated Uveitis: Results after Trabeculectomy or Ahmed Glaucoma Valve Implantation

ABSTRACT

Purpose

Patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) associated uveitis (JIAU) are at risk for secondary glaucoma, frequently requiring surgical management. We compared the success rates for trabeculectomy (TE) and Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) implantation.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of TE (45 eyes), primary AGV (pAGV) (7 eyes), or secondary AGV (sAGV) implantation after TE (11 eyes) in JIAU at the 2-year follow-up.

Results

All groups achieved significant pressure reduction. After 1 year, the overall success rate was higher in the Ahmed groups (p = 0.03). After adjusting the p-value according to Benjamin Hochberg, there is no significant difference between the groups in the Kaplan–Meier, despite a significant logrank test between all groups (p = 0.0194) and a better performance in the Ahmed groups.

Conclusion

Slightly better success rates were achieved with pAGV in managing JIAU patients with glaucoma refractory to medical treatment.

KEYWORDS:

• Ahmed glaucoma valve
• glaucoma
• juvenile idiopathic arthritis
• trabeculectomy
• uveitis

Disclosure statement

Baquet-Walscheid K. has received grants from “German Research Foundation” (grant number WA 4449/2-1). Heinz C. has received payment for board membership of “Alimera” and lectures including service on speakers’ bureaus of “AbbVie,” “Novartis,” and “Alimera.”

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09273948.2023.2185263