Ex-Press^® versus Baerveldt implant surgery for primary open-angle glaucoma and pseudo-exfoliation glaucoma

To compare surgical outcomes between Ex-Press^® (EXP) and Baerveldt glaucoma implant (BGI) surgeries for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and pseudo-exfoliation glaucoma (PEXG) patients.

This was a retrospective single-facility study. The inclusion criteria were that the patient's preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) was > 21 mmHg and the post-surgery follow-up was > 1 year. We recruited 161 patients who had undergone a trabeculectomy with EXP (89 eyes) or BGI surgery (72 eyes). We compared these groups' postoperative IOP values and postoperative glaucoma medications, the reduction rate of corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), surgical outcomes, complications, the hospital stay duration, and the number of visits within 3 months post-surgery.

Both the EXP and BGI surgeries could significantly decrease the IOP. When the surgical success was defined postoperative IOP ≤ 21 mmHg, the surgical outcome of BGI was significantly better than EXP (p = 0.0148). When the surgical success was defined postoperative IOP ≤ 18, 15 , and 12 mmHg, the surgical outcomes between BGI and EXP surgeries were not significantly different (p = 0.0815, p = 0.331, and p = 0.910). The mean ECD reduction rate was significantly faster in the EXP group. The BGI patients had significantly shorter stays in the hospital and fewer visits within 3 months post-surgery (p < 0.0001).

BGI surgery could provide comparable surgical outcomes as EXP surgery for POAG or PEXG patients with high preoperative IOP. BGI surgery has some advantages: fewer post-surgery visits, less postoperative interventions, and a lower ECD reduction rate.