title: The role of initial 5-fluorouracil trabeculectomy in primary glaucoma.
abstract: Sixty-eight patients with primary glaucoma involving 68 eyes were divided into two groups: Group I eyes were subjected to trabeculectomy (n = 38) and Group II eyes underwent trabeculectomy followed by subconjunctival injections of 5-fluorouracil (35 mg) (n = 30). After one year follow-up, Group I eyes exhibited reduction of mean intra-ocular tension from 45.7 mm Hg (pre-operative) to 16 mm Hg; optic disc cupping remained unchanged and 24/38 eyes (63%) were found to have field defects (19/38 i.e. 50% had preoperative field defects.) Group II eyes showed a reduction of mean intra-ocular pressure from 47.3 mmHg to 9.3 mmHg after one year. Mean cup disc ratio was lowered from 0.50:1 to 0.46:1 and 17/30 eyes (57%) which had field defects initially continued to exhibit the same. Complications in Group I and II eyes were shallow anterior chamber [8/38 eyes (21%) from Group I and 8/30 eyes (26%) from Group II], posterior synechiae formation in 10/38 eyes (26%) and 8/30 eyes (26%) and cataract progression in 13/38 eyes (34%) and 12/30 eyes (40%) respectively; only Group II eyes had transient superficial keratitis in 9/30 eyes (30%) and thin blebs in 6/30 eyes (20%). The use of 5-fluorouracil after trabeculectomy for primary glaucoma resulted in lowering of intra-ocular pressure, eliminated the need for antiglaucoma medications post-operatively, reduced the galucomatous cup size, and prevented progression of field loss without having a significantly increased complication rate.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Ophthalmology, KEM Hospital, Parel, Bombay, Maharashtra.
authors.forename: Y K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Dastur
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dasgupta
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chitale
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Firke
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sethi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Patwardhan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000963:Antimetabolites / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D014130:Trabeculectomy
chemical_list: D000963:Antimetabolites; D005472:Fluorouracil