title: Small-incision phacotrabeculectomy versus phacoemulsification in refractory acute primary angle closure with cataract.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute primary angle closure (PAC) can be refractory to conventional treatment and intraocular pressure (IOP) is beyond control. Surgical intervention should be considered at the moment. The aim of the study was to compare small-incision phacotrabeculectomy (phacotrab, small-incision trabeculectomy combined with phacoemulsification) with phacoemulsification (phaco) in patients with refractory acute PAC and coexisting cataract.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analyzed 49 eyes (49 patients) with acute PAC and cataract received small-incision phacotrab (24 eyes) or phaco (25 eyes) randomly. All these cases were refractory to conventional treatment involved the use of preoperative topical IOP-lowering agents, corticosteroids, mannitol, methazolamide and paracentesis to reduce IOP. The effects on best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), IOP, anterior chamber depth (ACD), glaucoma medications, and complications were observed for twelve months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After operation BCVA of 18 patients (75 %) in phacotrab group and 20 patients (80 %) in phaco group improved compared to preoperative vision. No statistically significant differences in mean BCVA were found between the two groups. The mean postoperative IOP levels at all follow up time points were lower than the mean preoperative IOP in each group (P < 0.001). There was statistically significant difference in mean IOP between the two groups only at 12 months postoperatively (P = 0.006). The surgical success rate (without medications, IOP ≤ 21 mmHg) was 83.33 % (20 eyes) and 72 % (18 eyes) in phacotrab group and phaco group respectively at 12 months. No statistically significant differences in the mean ACD were found between the two groups. There were no serious intra- or post-operative complications in the two treatment groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Besides phaco, small incision phacotrab may be another effective and safe choice in the treatment of patients with refractory acute PAC and coexisting cataract. Whether phacotrab is more effective in IOP control in the long term needs to be verified in the further.
authors.affiliation: Eye Institute of Chinese PLA and Department of Ophthalmology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China. houxu@fmmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Eye Institute of Chinese PLA and Department of Ophthalmology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China. hoodan@fmmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Eye Institute of Chinese PLA and Department of Ophthalmology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China. cuizhili@fmmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhili
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Eye Institute of Chinese PLA and Department of Ophthalmology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China. zhoujian@fmmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Eye Institute of Chinese PLA and Department of Ophthalmology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China. caili@fmmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Eye Institute of Chinese PLA and Department of Ophthalmology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China. wangys@fmmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yusheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D000867:Anterior Chamber / Q000473:pathology; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D015812:Glaucoma, Angle-Closure / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014130:Trabeculectomy / Q000379:methods*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents