No effects of mitomycin-C in primary trabeculectomies in Sweden.

Aim: To evaluate the results of a long-term follow-up after two different types of surgical techniques: trabeculectomy with or without mitomycin-C.

Materials and methods: This study is a retrospective chart review of patients operated on with a primary trabeculectomy at the Eye Department of the Skaraborg Hospital, Skövde, Sweden. Complete success was defined as intraocular pressure ⩽18 mmHg (criterion 1) or intraocular pressure reduction ⩾30% (criterion 2) without eye drops postoperatively. Qualified success was defined using the same criteria (1 and 2), but patients were treated or untreated with eye-drops.

Results: A total of 167 patients were included in this retrospective study, 83 patients in the no-mitomycin-C group and 84 patients in the mitomycin-C-treated group. No significant difference was found in intraocular pressure reduction between the mitomycin-C and no-mitomycin-C group (t-test; p = 0.19). Complete success using criterion 1 was 66.2% in no-mitomycin-C and 62.8% in mitomycin-C (p = 0.88); success using criterion 2 was 76.6% in the no-mitomycin-C and 64.2% in the mitomycin-C group (p = 0.21). Qualified success using criterion 1 was 71.4% in the no-mitomycin-C and 74.4% in the mitomycin-C group (p = 0.84); success using criterion 2 was 80.0% in the no-mitomycin-C and 84.4% in the mitomycin-C group. All included patients were born in Sweden.

Conclusion: Mitomycin-C seems to add no benefits to intraocular pressure reduction after primary trabeculectomies in a Swedish population.