Adjunctive use of transconjunctival mitomycin-C in ab externo diode laser sclerostomy surgery in rabbits

This study evaluates the role of transconjunctival mitomycin-C (MMC) in laser sclerostomy surgery. Sixteen albino rabbits underwent ab externo diode laser sclerostomy surgery in one eye (with the fellow eye as a control), with a single, intraoperative, 7-minute transconjunctival application of MMC (MMC group). Ten rabbits had the same sclerostomy surgery without MMC (NOMMC group). Successful filtration, defined as a difference in intraocular pressure less than 4 mm Hg between the operative and control eyes, lasted significantly longer in the MMC group (16.4 +/- 11.0 days) than in the NOMMC group (8.5 +/- 4.5 days) (P = .02). These data suggest that transconjunctival MMC can enhance the success of diode laser sclerostomy surgery in rabbits.