title: Molteno implantation for glaucoma in young patients.
abstract: Seventy patients younger than 21 years of age underwent Molteno implantation for nonneovascular glaucoma. Fifty-three (76%) patients had failed angle and/or conventional filtering surgery. Final intraocular pressure less than 22 mmHg (but over 5 mmHg) was achieved in 40 (62%) of the 65 patients with at least 6-month follow-up (range, 6 to 59 months; mean +/- standard deviation, 22.7 +/- 14.1 months); however, only 22 (34%) were controlled after the initial Molteno implantation procedure, and 54 (83%) patients underwent further glaucoma and/or nonglaucoma surgical procedures. The visual acuities remained within one line of their preoperative levels or improved in 25 (68%) of the 37 patients on whom Snellen acuities were available. The most frequent complications included: tube-cornea touch (20%, transient in 3%), corneal edema (17%), retinal detachment (16%), tube block (10%), cataract (9%), chronic hypotony or phthisis (9%), pupillary or cyclitic membrane (9%), hyphema (7%), flat anterior chamber (6%), and large postoperative choroidal effusion (6%). Despite the high rates of subsequent surgical interventions and complications, Molteno implantation has been a useful approach for achieving intraocular pressure reduction in young patients with glucoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Irvine College of Medicine 92717.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Heuer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baerveldt
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Minckler
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Martone
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D012086:Reoperation; D014792:Visual Acuity