This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Phaco-ECP combination is an option for patients with cataract and glaucoma
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Combining cataract surgery with an endoscopic glaucoma treatment may be beneficial for patients with both cataract and moderate glaucoma, according to a speaker here.
At the American Glaucoma Society meeting, Stanley J. Berke, MD, FACS, reviewed the results of a large, long-term study of phacoemulsification combined with endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECP). The technique, which he has been performing for 6 years, is most suitable for patients with well-controlled glaucoma who need cataract surgery, he said.
“If they’re already having cataract surgery and they have glaucoma, I am immediately considering ECP,” Dr. Berke said in an interview with Ocular Surgery News. He also considers other factors such as how many medications the patient is taking, his or her tolerance for the medications, the status of the glaucoma and whether it is controlled.
Eyes that have well-controlled, moderate glaucoma make the best candidates for phaco-ECP, Dr. Berke said.
He presented data on 707 eyes – 626 in the phaco-ECP group and 81 in a phaco-only control group – that were followed for up to 5 years. The phaco-ECP group had significantly lower mean IOP than the phaco-only group, Dr. Berke said.
The phaco-only group experienced an initial lowering of IOP, but levels “drifted back to where they were” by the end of 3 years of follow-up, he said.
“ECP is not a competing technology. It’s just an additional technology,” Dr. Berke said. “It’s better than doing nothing, but not as drastic as doing a trabeculectomy. … It’s nice to have something in the interim.”