Outcome of combined Ahmed glaucoma valve implant and penetrating keratoplasty in refractory congenital glaucoma with corneal opacity.

PURPOSE: To investigate surgical outcomes following simultaneous Ahmed glaucoma valve implant and penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) in the management of refractory congenital glaucoma with corneal opacity.

METHODS: A retrospective review was undertaken of pediatric patients who underwent simultaneous Ahmed glaucoma valve implant and PKP at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between January 1994 and September 1999.

RESULTS: Twenty eyes of 17 patients were included in the study. Cumulative probabilities of success by Kaplan-Meier analysis showed 85%, 44%, and 33% IOP control and 85%, 43%, and 17% graft success at 2, 24, and 48 months. The most common cause of glaucoma failure that required subsequent surgery was subconjunctival scarring, which resulted in loss of long-term IOP control. Main graft-related complications included failure (13/20) and graft ulceration (6/20), and in 4/6 ulcerated grafts, Streptococcus pneumoniae was cultured positively. Subsequent surgery was the only significant clinical factor associated with poor outcome of glaucoma. However, low graft survival rate was significantly associated with delinquency of follow-ups, corneal ulcer, subsequent surgery, and postoperative complications.

CONCLUSIONS: The long-term success of simultaneous Ahmed glaucoma valve implant and PKP in refractory congenital glaucoma associated with corneal opacity is low, and the complication rate is high.