XEN gel stent ® in the management of glaucoma: preliminary results of a tertiary center

Purpose: To analyze the efficacy and safety of a MIGS device (XEN gel stent ®) in the management of glaucoma in our tertiary center. Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients submitted to XEN ® implant alone or combined with cataract surgery. Patients with previous filtering surgeries were included. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was evaluated at 1st week, 1st, 3rd, 6th and 12th months after surgery. BCVA, RNFL thickness and number of antiglaucoma medications were evaluated 1 year after surgery. Early and late complications and need for an additional glaucoma surgery were recorded. Results: Thirty-four eyes from 28 patients were included. The main diagnosis was primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) (58.8%). IOP decreased from 20.5±4.9 mmHg to 15.4±4.1 mmHg 1 year after surgery (p<0.001). There was also a decrease in the number of antiglaucoma medications, from 3.6±0.6 to 0.6±0.7 (p<0.001). BCVA increased from 0.57±0.30 to 0.87±0.18 in the combined surgery group (p=0.03). RNFL thickness remained stable (p=0.558). Hypotony occurred in 2 eyes (5.9%). Two eyes (5.9%) needed another glaucoma surgery in the 1st year of follow-up. Conclusion: According to our results, XEN® alone or combined with phacoemulsification showed to be effective in IOP reduction, with few complications, as a primary surgery or even in eyes with previous filtering surgeries.