Transient Ciliochoroidal Detachment After Ab Interno Trabeculotomy for Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Prospective Anterior-Segment Optical Coherence Tomography Study.

IMPORTANCE

Although trabeculotomy is a glaucoma surgical procedure for modest intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction, some eyes exhibit very low IOP during the early postoperative period. To our knowledge, the reason and its effect have not been investigated.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate ciliochoroidal detachment (CCD) immediately after ab interno trabeculotomy and evaluate its effect on IOP immediately after surgery. DESIGN, SETTING,

AND PARTICIPANTS

This prospective, observational, case series was conducted at Kyoto University Hospital, Kyoto, Japan. Patients with open-angle glaucoma who underwent ab interno trabeculotomy using a microsurgical device by a single surgeon between July 1, 2014, and May 31, 2015, were included. Thirty-seven consecutive patients were enrolled, 33 of whom were included in the analysis. The dates of the analysis were August 1 to August 15, 2015.

INTERVENTION

Imaging of CCD using anterior-segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The incidence of CCD immediately after ab interno trabeculotomy and its effect on IOP in the early postoperative period.

RESULTS

The study cohort comprised 33 patients. Their mean (SD) age was 69.4 (13.2) years, and 19 (58%) were male. At postoperative day 3, CCD was detected in 14 of 33 eyes (42%) (CCD group) using AS-OCT. The CCD group had shorter axial length (mean [SD], 23.66 [1.67] vs 25.16 [1.59] mm) and thinner central corneal thickness (mean [SD], 505.9 [35.8] vs 533.9 [39.1] μm) than the non-CCD group. Only 5 eyes had CCD at postoperative day 10, and 4 of these eyes had CCD at 1 month after surgery. The postoperative IOPs at all follow-up periods were lower in the CCD group than in the non-CCD group, but the difference in the postoperative IOPs between the groups decreased as time passed. The mean (SD) IOPs for the CCD group vs the non-CCD group were 9.1 (3.0) vs 14.2 (5.8) mm Hg at day 1, 8.4 (2.4) vs 13.4 (5.0) mm Hg at day 3, 11.0 (3.0) vs 15.5 (6.3) mm Hg at day 10, 13.4 (2.4) vs 15.5 (3.3) mm Hg at 1 month, and 13.9 (3.4) vs 15.5 (4.0) mm Hg at 3 months. In several eyes in the CCD group, the AS-OCT images revealed a connection between the CCD and the anterior chamber via the trabeculotomy site.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Ciliochoroidal detachment after ab interno trabeculotomy was not rare and was associated with low IOP immediately after surgery. Postoperative CCD may be partially attributed to the transient increase in uveoscleral aqueous outflow via the trabeculotomy site.