Notice: Users may be experiencing issues with displaying some pages on stanfordhealthcare.org. We are working closely with our technical teams to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.
 

Learn about the flu shot, COVID-19 vaccine, and our masking policy »

Stanford Health Care

SALT Trial: Steroids after Laser Trabeculoplasty: Impact of Short-Term Anti-inflammatory Treatment on Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty Efficacy. Ophthalmology Groth, S. L., Albeiruti, E. n., Nunez, M. n., Fajardo, R. n., Sharpsten, L. n., Loewen, N. n., Schuman, J. S., Goldberg, J. L. 2019

Abstract

This study examined whether short-term use of topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) or steroid therapy affected the efficacy of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT).Double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled, dual-center, multisurgeon trial.Patients older than 18 years with intraocular pressure (IOP) of more than 18 mmHg for whom the clinician decided SLT was the appropriately indicated therapy were randomized to 1 of 3 groups in a ratio of 1:1:1 as follows: ketorolac 0.5%, prednisolone 1%, or saline tears.After SLT, patients randomized into each group were instructed to use an unmarked drop 4 times daily starting the day of SLT and continuing for 4 additional days. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used for continuous variables when comparing 2 or 3 treatment groups, respectively. The Fisher exact test was used for categorical variables.The primary outcome of this study was IOP at 12 weeks. Secondary outcome measures included IOP at 1 and 6 weeks, patient-reported pain, and detectable anterior chamber inflammation.Ninety-six eyes of 85 patients fit inclusion criteria and were enrolled between the 2 sites. The NSAID, steroid, and placebo groups were similar in baseline demographics and baseline IOP (mean, 23.3±3.9 mmHg; P = 0.57). There was no statistically significant difference in IOP decrease among groups at week 6. Both the NSAID and steroid groups showed a statistically significantly greater decrease in IOP at week 12 compared with the placebo group (mean, -6.2±3.1 mmHg, -5.2±2.7 mmHg, and -3±4.3 mmHg, respectively; P = 0.02 [analysis of variance] and P = 0.002 [t test] for NSAID vs. placebo groups; P = 0.02 for steroid vs. placebo groups).Significantly better IOP reduction at 12 weeks was measured in eyes treated with steroid or NSAID drops after SLT. Short-term postoperative use of NSAID or steroid drops may improve IOP reduction after SLT. Longer-term follow-up studies are indicated.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ophtha.2019.05.032

View details for PubMedID 31444008