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Jea et al. (2104) compared 102 patients who underwent trabeculectomy with MMC to 115 patients who underwent ab interno trabeculectomy with the TrabectomeTM procedure. This was a retrospective analysis, where failure was defined as IOP greater than 21 mmHg or less than 20% reduction below baseline, hypotony, or loss of LP vision. The subjects were followed for a mean of 27.3 months for the trabectomeTM group and 25.5 months for the trabeculectomy group.
The TrabectomeTM procedure will likely not be a replacement for trabeculectomy, but rather represents a lower risk procedure better suited for less severe cases where a somewhat higher IOP would be adequate
The results showed a higher success rate with the trabeculectomy group than with the trabectomeTM group at two years (76.1% and 22.4%, respectively). The trabeculectomy group also had fewer additional surgeries than the Trabectome group. The complication rates were higher for trabeculectomy than for TrabectomeTM subjects. The mean post -operative IOP in the TrabectomeTM group was 15.9 mmHg and for the trabeculectomy group was 10.2 mmHg. This study re-emphasizes the results that have been published in prior works, showing that this trabecular bypass procedure typically results in IOP in the mid teens and rarely achieves single digit or low-teens IOP. This is in contrast to trabeculectomy which is still the most effective IOP- lowering procedure commonly performed. This greater efficacy however comes with higher risks and complication rates. The results of this study highlight that the TrabectomeTM procedure will likely not be a replacement for trabeculectomy, but rather represents a lower risk procedure better suited for less severe cases where a somewhat higher IOP would be adequate.