For a study, researchers examined the success and risk factors for failure and complications associated with Baerveldt glaucoma implants in children. Retrospective case series of children who had Baerveldt implants placed by a single surgeon (2012-2019) with more than equal to 1-year follow-up. Ocular examination and surgical information were gathered. Failure was defined as intraocular pressure (IOP) less than 5 mm Hg or greater than 21 mm Hg for 2 consecutive visits, the need for IOP-related surgery, or a visually significant complication. At a median of 6.4 years, 76 patients’ eyes underwent 110 Baerveldt placements. In 49% of cases, Baerveldt placement was combined with other procedures, with vitrectomy being the most common (30%). At the final follow-up (median 4.7 years), the success rate of the first Baerveldt was 64% (per patient). The 1-year, 5-year, and 8-year survival rates were 84%, 60%, and 32%, respectively. There was no difference in survival (P=0.97) between the first and all Baerveldt surgeries. The failure of the first Baerveldt was unrelated to gender, age, ethnicity, prior IOP-lowering surgery, concurrent intraocular surgery, or glaucoma type. Complications occurred in 14% of cases and were linked to concurrent surgery. A total of 26% required additional IOP-lowering surgery. IOP and glaucoma medications were significantly reduced at the final follow-up (P<0.0001). An average of 3.8 somewhat about 2.3 ocular surgeries and 3.0 about 2.0 glaucoma surgeries were performed on the eyes. Initially, Baerveldt implants were successful, but survival rates declined over time. There were no risk factors identified for the failure of the first implanted Baerveldt. Complications were associated with concurrent surgery. The majority of eyes required multiple surgeries to control IOP and preserve vision.
