STARflo-a suprachoroidal drainage implant in glaucoma surgery

The STARflo Glaucoma Device (iSTAR Medical, Wavre, Belgium) offers a new approach to bleb-free filtering surgery in which the intraocular pressure (IOP) is lowered by supporting outflow of the aqueous humor into the suprachoroidal space. On the basis of a case series of 9 patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) unmanageable by drug-based treatment, intra- and postoperative experiences with the implant are presented. The implant, the implantation procedure, and the first results 6 months postoperatively are described. No intraoperative complications were observed. Postoperative complications such as increased astigmatism or ocular hypotony were rare and transient. After 6 months there was an IOP reduction from 29.1 mm Hg +/- 6.1 mm Hg with 2.7 +/- 1.1 local IOP-lowering medications to 16.1 +/- 4.1 mm Hg (IOP reduction of 44.7%) with additional 2.0 +/- 0.8 local IOP-lowering medications. The new STARflo Glaucoma Device shows promising results in reducing the IOP of medically uncontrolled OAG. Further investigations concerning the long-time efficacy of the implant and additional IOP-lowering medication are still ongoing.