Risk Factors for Failure in Glaucoma Patients Undergoing Microshunt Implantation.

Purpose: To evaluate risk factors for failure of Microshunt in glaucoma patients.

Design: Multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Methods: The study included 220 eyes from 220 consecutive glaucoma patients undergoing Microshunt implantation at six glaucoma units. Four intraocular pressure (IOP) success criteria were defined: (A) IOP ≤21 mm Hg with ≥20% IOP reduction; (B) IOP ≤18 mm Hg with ≥20% IOP reduction; (C) IOP ≤15 mm Hg with ≥25% IOP reduction; and (D) IOP ≤12 mm Hg with ≥30% IOP reduction from baseline. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate success rates according to the criteria above, and multivariable Cox models were used to identified risk factors for failure according to criterion A.

Results: Success rates varied based on different criteria, ranging from 43.3% to 62.5% (overall success for criteria D and A, respectively) and from 35.3% to 44.4% (complete success for criteria D and A, respectively) at 1-year follow-up. Higher intraoperative MMC concentration was associated with reduced risk of failure to maintain complete (0.4 vs 0.2 mg/mL: hazard ratio [HR] = 0.441, P < .001) and overall (0.4 vs 0.2 mg/mL: HR = 0.360, P = .004) success. For complete success, other risk factors for failure were pseudoexfoliation glaucoma/pigmentary glaucoma (HR = 1.641, P = .004), primary angle closure glaucoma (HR = 1.611, P < .001), and previous non-glaucomatous ocular surgeries (HR = 2.301, P = .002). For overall success, other risk factors for failure were lower preoperative IOP (for 1-mm Hg increase, HR = 0.934, P = .005), higher number of preoperative antiglaucoma agents (HR = 1.626, P < .001), and Microshunt combined with cataract surgery (HR = 1.526, P = .033).

Conclusions: This study identified risk factors for Microshunt failure, highlighting the importance of high intraoperative MMC dose and careful patient selection to optimize surgical success.