The Tube Versus Trabeculectomy (TVT) Study

The Tube versus Trabeculectomy (TVT) study is a multicenter, randomized clinical trial comparing the safety and efficacy of tube shunt surgery to trabeculectomy with mitomycin C (MMC) in patients with previous cataract or glaucoma surgery.

In this presentation, Dr. Steven Gedde discusses the study findings that support the expanded use of tube shunts beyond the surgical management of refractory glaucoma. The study demonstrated that low levels of IOP can be achieved with tube shunts in the patient group investigated, and that trabeculectomy with MMC resulted in significantly higher failure rates and rates of reoperation. The study results have prompted another multicenter, randomized clinical trial comparing tube shunt surgery and trabeculectomy with MMC as an initial surgical procedure in low risk eyes, ie, the Primary Tube Versus Trabeculectomy (PTVT) study.