title: Five-year treatment outcomes in the Ahmed Baerveldt comparison study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the 5-year outcomes of the Ahmed FP7 Glaucoma Valve (AGV) (New World Medical, Cucamonga, CA) and the Baerveldt 101-350 Glaucoma Implant (BGI) (Abbott Medical Optics, Abbott Park, IL) for the treatment of refractory glaucoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 276 patients, including 143 in the AGV group and 133 in the BGI group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients aged 18 to 85 years with previous intraocular surgery or refractory glaucoma and intraocular pressure (IOP) of ≥18 mmHg in whom glaucoma drainage implant (GDI) surgery was planned were randomized to implantation of an AGV or a BGI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surgical failure, IOP, visual acuity (VA), use of glaucoma medications, and complications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 5 years, IOP (mean ± standard deviation [SD]) was 14.7±4.4 mmHg in the AGV group and 12.7±4.5 mmHg in the BGI group (P = 0.015). The number of glaucoma medications in use at 5 years (mean ± SD) was 2.2±1.4 in the AGV group and 1.8±1.5 in the BGI group (P = 0.28). The cumulative probability of failure during 5 years of follow-up was 44.7% in the AGV group and 39.4% in the BGI group (P = 0.65). The number of subjects failing because of inadequately controlled IOP or reoperation for glaucoma was 46 in the AGV group (80% of AGV failures) and 25 in the BGI group (53% of BGI failures; P = 0.003). Eleven eyes in the AGV group (20% of AGV failures) experienced persistent hypotony, explantation of implant, or loss of light perception compared with 22 eyes (47% of failures) in the BGI group. Change in logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution VA (mean ± SD) at 5 years was 0.42±0.99 in the AGV group and 0.43±0.84 in the BGI group (P = 0.97).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Similar rates of surgical success were observed with both implants at 5 years. The BGI produced greater IOP reduction and a lower rate of glaucoma reoperation than the AGV, but the BGI was associated with twice as many failures because of safety issues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Electronic address: dbudenz@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Donald L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Budenz
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre for Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, United Kingdom; Division of Epidemiology and Genetics, Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Barton
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Gedde
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Feuer
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schiffman
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vital P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Glaucoma Associates of Texas, Dallas, Texas.
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Godfrey
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Yvonne M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Buys
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D020327:Glaucoma Drainage Implants; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation; D012086:Reoperation; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular; D014130:Trabeculectomy; D017211:Treatment Failure; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents