Abstract
Background Surgical procedures in ophthalmology are subject to fluctuations in their application
and are dependent on new developments, availability, and success rates. In the field
of glaucoma surgery in particular, numerous new procedures have been introduced
over the last few years. So far, hardly any analyses have been done on the current
application of these newer
procedures. In this paper, we present the extent to which different glaucoma
surgery procedures were used in German hospitals in 2019.
Methods The quality reports of German hospitals from 2019 were evaluated regarding all glaucoma-specific
procedure codes. In particular, laser procedures, “classic” glaucoma
procedures, and “modern” procedures such as MIGS (minimally invasive glaucoma
surgery) are compared below.
Results In 2019, 49,031 glaucoma procedures were performed in German hospitals. Numerically,
cyclodestructive procedures were used most frequently. MIGS accounted for approximately
10% of procedures according to the available data. Among filtering procedures,
about 40% were implant-assisted.
Discussion and Conclusion On the one hand, the data analyzed show a mixed expansion of the spectrum with newer
procedures such as the MIGS and implants; on the other hand, classic
procedures such as cyclodestruction are still used. It can be assumed that further
shifts in surgical methods will be seen in the coming years.
Key words
glaucoma surgery - MIGS - trabeculectomy - laser trabeculoplasty
