Case report: Introduction of an Ahmed valve implant tube into the ciliary sulcus using a guide-wire

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy and it is the main cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Intraocular pressure (IOP) is the only modifiable one and trabeculectomy is commonly considered the surgical "gold standard" to decrease IOP. In particular cases, other kind of surgeries, as the Ahmed Glaucoma Valve (AGV) implant, are a reliable alternative. Usually, the silicone tube of AGV surgery is inserted into the anterior chamber. Sometimes it is necessary to place the AGV silicone tube in the ciliary sulcus, especially in cases of endothelial decompensation. This surgical procedure is not always easy to perform.

This article describes and presents a technique for inserting the AGV tube into the posterior chamber using a guide-wire, in a total of 12 cases are reported. This procedure has been mostly applied in a group of pseudophakic patients who need AGV placement to control elevated IOP. In exceptional situations, this procedure was applied in pseudophakic patients previously with AGV tube implanted in the anterior chamber and with loss of endothelial cells or in phakic patients with previously implanted AGV anterior chamber tube, simultaneously to cataract surgery.

The purpose of these cases presentations attended at our service is to demonstrate the passage of the AGV silicone tube was performed with the aid of a guide wire.