advertisement

Editors Selection IGR 12-1

Surgical Treatment: Scar prevention by Ologen implant?

Comment by Sylvian Roy & André Mermoud on:

25614 Trabeculectomy with OloGen versus trabeculectomy for the treatment of glaucoma: A pilot study, Papaconstantinou D; Georgalas I; Karmiris E et al., Acta Ophthalmologica, 2010; 88: 80-85

Find related abstracts

Papaconstantinou et al. (467) report the short term results (sixmonth follow-up) of trabeculectomy performed using the new OloGen implant to prevent excessive scarring of the filtering bleb. The rationale behind using such implant is that the biocompatible porous material inserted in the filtering site under the conjunctiva would promote a gentle tissue response during the healing phase. The inflammatory reaction would be limited during the postoperative period, thus preventing the risk to develop filtering bleb fibrosis and encapsulation, eventually leading to surgical failure if not treated with needling and or antimetabolite injections. Despite this interesting promise the results of the present study indicate, on a limited cohort of 40 patients, that there are no significant advantages compared with trabeculectomy alone.

When analyzing the results of a novel surgical technique or an innovative medical device efficiency, safety and risk profile should be compared to the well established technique

This conclusion confirms several yet unpublished studies and observations made by other surgeons using this filtering implant. Furthermore, with this limited number of patients there were three complications including one case of endophthalmitis. When analyzing the results of a novel surgical technique or an innovative medical device, we should not only look at the efficiency compared to the well established technique, but we have to consider the safety and risk profile as well. In that respect such a new glaucoma filtering device should provide a real benefit in terms of safety and efficacy. As far as OloGen implant is concerned, we need further multi-centered studies with a larger number of patients to put under perspective these preliminary results. To conclude, this implant could provide interesting effects on the healing process of filtering surgery, not only for the trabeculectomy, but also for the non-penetrating procedure such as the deep sclerectomy. Again further studies are welcome to bolster pertinent conclusions.

• ← Previous
• Next →