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New stent offers minimally invasive, safe alternative in glaucoma surgery
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 Norbert Pfeiffer |
PARIS — The new Hydrus stent from Ivantis provides effective IOP control with a safe, minimally invasive, ab interno procedure, according to one surgeon speaking at the World Glaucoma Congress here.
The device is implanted into Schlemm’s canal using an injector through a small step incision.
“The sharp, distal end of the Hydrus penetrates the trabecular meshwork and then is advanced into the Schlemm’s canal for about 3 clock hours, one-fourth of the circumference of the cornea. It is like a scaffold that allows the aqueous humor to enter the eye at its end and then leave the implant and percolate into the canal through oval-shaped holes,” Norbert Pfeiffer, MD, said.
Dr. Pfeiffer has used the Hydrus in 15 patients. Eleven procedures were combined with cataract surgery. An IOP drop of 8 mm Hg to 9 mm Hg was obtained in all patients immediately after surgery. Mean IOP was 10 mm Hg to 12 mm Hg.
“In the following days, the pressure increased due to the use of steroids, but at the 3- and 6-month follow-up endpoints, it was back to early postoperative values,” Dr. Pfeiffer said.
The Hydrus is made of nitinol, a highly biocompatible material used for vascular stents.
“We need further results and further studies to compare the effects of the procedure with and without combination with cataract surgery,” Dr. Pfeiffer said.
- Disclosure: Dr. Pfeiffer is a consultant for Ivantis.