XEN45 gel stent in the treatment of pigmentary glaucoma: A two-year follow-up

Purpose To investigate safety and efficacy of the XEN gel stent in patients with pigmentary glaucoma (PG). Methods A retrospective analysis of 26 eyes of 19 patients with PG undergoing XEN gel stent implantation was performed. Best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure (IOP), and number of antiglaucoma medications were analyzed preoperatively, and at 2 weeks and 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery. Success, needling, and complications were analyzed. Complete success was defined as an IOP reduction of >20% and achieving a target IOP of ≤18, ≤15, or ≤12 mmHg without antiglaucoma medication. Qualified success was indicated if the IOP target was reached with or without medication. Results Mean IOP decreased significantly from 27.6 ± 14.3 (standard deviation, SD) mmHg to 14.3 ± 4.6 mmHg after one year ( p < 0.001) and 15.1 ± 2.7 mmHg ( p < 0.001) after two years. The median number of hypotensive drugs declined significantly from 4 (range: 3–5) to 0 (0–2) and 0 (0–3) after one and two years, respectively. After two years, complete success with an IOP of ≤18 mmHg and ≤15 mmHg was achieved in 73.1% and 61.5%, respectively. Half of the eyes required needling after a median time of 8 months (0.5–34 months). No sight-threatening complications were observed. Conclusion The XEN gel stent is a safe and effective surgical treatment option for PG. Needling is an important part of the procedure and should be communicated preoperatively to the patients.