title: Combined cataract extraction and thermal sclerostomy versus combined cataract extraction and trabeculectomy.
abstract: We performed either a combined cataract extraction and trabeculectomy or a combined cataract extraction and thermal sclerostomy on 43 eyes. All eyes had chronic open angle glaucoma or chronic angle closure glaucoma, or a combination of the two. In our cataract/trabeculectomy group, 74% had improvement in visual acuity, 91% had normalized intraocular pressure without anti-glaucoma medications, 31% had transient postoperative hyphemas. In our cataract/thermal sclerostomy group, 61% had improvement in visual acuity, 61% had normalization of intraocular pressures without antiglaucoma medications, 17% had transient postoperative hyphemas. We could not correlate any of the complications of surgery with poor intraocular pressure results in either groups. The mechanism for the higher success rate with a combined cataract extraction and trabeculectomy as compared with a combined cataract extraction and thermal sclerostomy was not obvious after analyzing these patients.
mesh_terms: D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000379:methods*; D006099:Granuloma / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012590:Sclera / Q000601:surgery*; D014129:Trabecular Meshwork / Q000601:surgery*