ECS14
INTRODUCING THE STERGIO VALVE: THE FIRST AUTO-ADJUSTABLE GLAUCOMA DRAINAGE VALVE
N. Stergiopulos1,*
1EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
The Stergio glaucoma valve is a novel glaucoma drainage device which dynamically auto-adjusts flow resistance in order to keep IOP at the target levels. Previously, RHeon Medical had developed the eyeWatch system, which was the world’s first adjustable glaucoma drainage device. The eyeWatch system proved to be very efficient in limiting hypotony and produced excellent long-terms results in terms of success rates as well as rates of complications. The eyeWatch device, however, is relatively bulky, expensive to manufacture and requires human intervention for its adjustment. The Stergio glaucoma valve is an auto-adjustable device, requiring no human intervention. Furthermore, it is about 5 times smaller in size than the eyeWatch and it is much simpler and cost-efficient to manufucture. The Stergio valve’s working principle is based on the Starling mechanism and provides for a stable upstream pressure regulation at the desired range, independently of variations in aqueous humor flow and distal resistance. In the early days post-implantation when distal resistance due to fibrosis is minimal, the Stergio valve automatically shuts down to increase resistance and keep IOP in the targeted range, avoiding hypotony. In later stages, as the bleb forms and distal pressure increases, the Stergio valve automatically opens up to lower its resistance and continue keeping IOP in the desired range.
The Stergio valve has been fully tested in vitro and gave outstanding results. The valve is also tested in animals to verify that the presence of fibrosis does not alter its functional characteristics. The next step is a pilot clinical study in humans, which is currently under preparation.