Managing Ahmed Glaucoma Valve tube exposure: Surgical technique

Abstract

Purpose: To describe a new surgical technique for managing Ahmed Glaucoma Valve tube exposure. The technique is simple, safe, easy to perform and may be an interesting alternative to conventional covering of the tube. This technique allows unlike the classical ones to act on the cause and not only on the complication of extrusion. Materials and Methods: This study was a retrospective case series that included four eyes of four patients who presented with an Ahmed Glaucoma Valve tube exposure. Results: Surgery was uneventful in all cases and we did not observe any intraoperative or postoperative complications. After at least 1-year follow-up, no case of tube re-exposure was detected. Conclusions: Many techniques have been proposed in order to cover the extruded tubes, and different materials may be used to reinforce the coverage, but re-exposure of the tube is a possible scenario. Indeed, our technique attempts not only to cover the exposed tube but also to solve the cause of the extrusion.