Canaloplasty A new alternative in non-penetrating glaucoma surgery

Canaloplasty provides a new option in non-penetrating glaucoma surgery. The aim of this study is to examine its early postsurgical safety and efficacy. This was a retrospective study of canaloplasties performed at our institution in 2009 (n=46, 13 of which were combined with cataract surgery). The mean follow-up was 6.0 +/- 3.4 months. The most important parameters examined were intraocular pressure (IOP), number of topical medications, postoperative complications, and required additional surgery. Mean presurgical IOP: 18.2 +/- 5.8 mmHg on a mean of 2.3 +/- 1.2 applied topical medications. Mean postsurgical IOP: 12.3 +/- 5.1 mmHg at 3 months, 11.7 +/- 3.0 mmHg at 6 months, and 12.6 +/- 2.4 mmHg at 12 months. Number of postsurgical medications: 0.8 +/- 1.1 at 3 months, 1.2 +/- 1.3 at 6 months, and 1.0 +/- 1.1 at 12 months. The most frequent postoperative complications were transient hypotension (32.6%), bleb leakage (26.1%), and microhyphema (23.9%). Revision surgery was required in 8.7% of all patients. Canaloplasty showed a good IOP-reducing effect. Complications occurred mostly temporarily and were of a controllable nature.