Corneal parameters following tube shunt implantation through the ciliary sulcus

Abstract Purpose To monitor bilateral corneal parameters following unilateral Baerveldt 350 tube shunt implantation through the ciliary sulcus. Participants Patients from one private glaucoma practice with severe uncontrolled glaucoma treated with sulcus tube shunt implantation in one pseudophakic eye. Design Retrospective interventional case series. Methods Specular microscopy data were collected before and following unilateral sulcus tube shunt implantation from the surgical and the glaucomatous fellow eyes. Main Outcome Measures Central corneal endothelial cell density (CECD), coefficient of variation (CV) and percent of hexagonal cells (%Hex), central corneal thickness (CCT), intra-ocular pressure (IOP), IOP-lowering medications (IOPmeds), visual acuity and complications. Results Forty six patients (age, mean (SD): 69.9 (4.6), range: 20-88 years, male: 41.3%) were identified. Following surgery, IOP and the number of IOPmeds decreased significantly by 42.3% (p Conclusions Tube shunt implantation through the ciliary sulcus in pseudophakic eyes appears relatively safe to the corneal endothelium demonstrating a small and nonsignificant decline in central corneal endothelial cell density compared to baseline and to their glaucomatous fellow eyes. There were no significant disruption to corneal endothelial cell morphology, increased corneal thickness or corneal failures during the 24-month follow-up period. A prospective head-to-head comparison to assess the effects of the various methods of tube shunt implantation on the corneal endothelium is needed.