Source: Canal Expander | Canal Expander [Internet]. Canalexpander.com. 2017 [cited 2017 Mar 18]. Available from: http://www.canalexpander.com/canal-expander/

Two-Year Results

The results of a study evaluating canaloplasty with the Stegmann Canal Expander® have recently been published.1 In this study 42 White patients with moderate to advanced glaucoma were followed for two years after surgery. Prior to surgery the average IOP measured 26.8mmHg. At six-months, one-year, and two years after surgery the average IOP was 50% lower (12.4-13.3mmHg)!

Just as impressive, the average number of glaucoma medications required dropped from just under three (2.8) to essentially none (0.2). Less than 10% of patients required just one glaucoma medication to control their IOP after surgery. In other words, over 90% of patients in this study were drop-free two years after Canaloplasty with the Stegmann Canal Expander®

YAG laser goniopuncture (a low-risk in-office procedure) was needed to achieve adequate IOP lowering in just under 15% of those who had this glaucoma surgery.

I am often asked about “success rates” of glaucoma surgeries. That is a difficult question to answer simply because success will depend upon how low the IOP must be for that individual patient. For example, someone with moderate glaucoma may experience a “successful” result with a final IOP of 15mmHg whereas for someone with advanced glaucoma an IOP in the mid-teens would be considered a “failure”. Fortunately, the authors of this study broke down the success rates as follows:

How Well Does the Stegmann Canal Expander Work

These are objectively impressive rates of success for a glaucoma surgery that appears to also have an excellent safety profile (as we’ll see next).

David Richardson, MD

David Richardson, MD

Medical Director, San Marino Eye

David Richardson, M.D. is recognized as one of the top cataract and glaucoma surgeons in the US and is among an elite group of glaucoma surgeons in the country performing the highly specialized canaloplasty procedure. Morever, Dr. Richardson is one of only a few surgeons in the greater Los Angeles area that performs MicroPulse P3™ "Cyclophotocoagulation" (MP3) glaucoma laser surgery. Dr. Richardson graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Southern California and earned his Medical Degree from Harvard Medical School. He completed his ophthalmology residency at the LAC+USC Medical Center/ Doheny Eye Institute. Dr. Richardson is also an Ambassador of Glaucoma Research Foundation.

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