Efficacy of the SENSIMED Triggerfish® in the postoperative follow-up of PHACO-ExPRESS combined surgery

Abstract Objective To determine the usefulness of the SENSIMED Triggerfish ® system in the postoperative control of combined phacoemulsification and ExPRESS implant (PHACO-ExPRESS) surgery in patients with cataract and chronic open angle glaucoma (COAG) during a 2 months follow-up. Methods A prospective study conducted on 15 eyes that were subjected to PHACO-ExPRESS combined surgery. Using the SENSIMED Triggerfish ® system, two records of the circadian patterns of intraocular pressure (IOP) were performed, one before and one after surgery. A record was made of the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), comorbidities, previous IOP, and 7–30–60 days after surgery, as well as any hypotensive drugs and complications. Results The final sample was 12 eyes. The mean pre-operative BCVA (log MAR chart) before surgery was 0.5 ± 0.2, and after surgery 0.14 ± 0.1 ( p  = 0.02). The previous IOP was 18.7 ± 3.8 mmHg with 2.9 ± 0.7 drugs. The mean IOP at 7, 30, and 60 days after surgery decreased to 13 ± 4.1 mmHg ( p  = 0.002), 13.5 ± 2 mmHg ( p  = 0.001), and 13.9 ± 2.5 mmHg ( p  = 0.001), respectively. The amplitudes of the circadian curves changed significantly after surgery ( p  = 0.007). The mean values between daytime and night-time periods decreased significantly from 146.8 ± 80.9 mVeq and 61.2 ± 92 mVeq before surgery to 36.4 ± 36 mVeq ( p  = 0.000), and −23,2 ± 47.6 mVeq ( p  = 0.014) after surgery, respectively. There were complications in one patient. Conclusions The SENSIMED Triggerfish ® monitoring system showed changes in the curves of the circadian patterns, as well as decreased mean amplitudes after the combined PHACO-ExPRESS technique, suggesting that it may become a useful tool for postoperative follow-up of COAG.