Amniotic membrane transplantation after extensive removal of primary and recurrent pterygia

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the postoperative outcome and the recurrence rate after extensive removal of primary and recurrent pterygia combined with amniotic membrane transplantation. DESIGN: A noncomparative interventional case series. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-four eyes in 54 subjects with either primary (n = 33) or recurrent (n = 21) pterygia operated on by one surgeon (SCGT). INTERVENTION: All subjects were operated on for pterygia with an extensive excision of the lesion followed by amniotic membrane transplantation and intraoperative injection of a depot corticosteroid. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cumulative rates of conjunctival (grade 3) and corneal (grade 4) recurrence and incidence of complications. RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 12.8 +/- 4.3 months for primary and 14.3 +/- 4.9 months for recurrent pterygia. The true recurrence rate (grade 4) was 3.0%, 9.5%, and 5.6% for primary, recurrent, and all pterygia, respectively. The cumulative proportion of recurrence-free eyes at 12 months was 0.90 +/- 0.06 for primary and 0.69 +/- 0.11 for recurrent pterygia (P = 0.047, log-rank test). Removal of the semilunar fold was associated with longer survival times (P = 0.063) and decreased failure rate (P = 0.046). A similar success rate was achieved in double-head pterygia (1 recurrence in 11 eyes). CONCLUSIONS: Amniotic membrane transplantation is an effective and safe procedure for pterygium surgery, with a relatively low recurrence rate for both primary and recurrent pterygia. It can be a useful alternative to conjunctival autograft when a large conjunctival defect has to be covered, such as in primary double-head pterygia and in large recurrent pterygia.     

羊膜移植与结膜移植治疗翼状胬肉的比较

目的:比较翼状胬肉切除联合羊膜移植或游离自体结膜移植对原发性胬肉的治疗效果。方法:对65例74眼行翼状胬肉切除联合羊膜移植术,对61例69眼行翼状胬肉切除联合游离自体结膜移植术,观察两组病例术后疗效。结果:术后随访12～20mo,随访期内,羊膜移植组5例复发,复发率6.7%,结膜移植组8例复发,复发率11.6%。结论:两种方式均能显著降低胬肉术后复发率,但羊膜移植更为理想。     

Comparison of conjunctival autograft with amniotic membrane transplantation for pterygium surgery: surgical and cosmetic outcome

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical results of conjunctival autograft and amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) for primary and recurrent pterygium excision. In an effort to determine whether AMT yields acceptable cosmetic results as conjunctival autografting in pterygium surgery, we compared the final cosmetic outcomes of these 2 techniques. METHODS: We performed a prospective, randomized clinical study of 78 eyes (78 patients) divided into 2 groups. Forty eyes (28 with primary and 12 with recurrent pterygia) received conjunctival limbal autograft (group 1), and 38 eyes (27 with primary and 11 with recurrent pterygia) received AMT (group 2) after extensive removal of pterygium. Mean follow-up time was 16.6 +/- 3.52 months in group 1 and 13.4 +/- 2.08 months in group 2. The results were evaluated by clinical examination and photographing and final appearances were graded from 1 to 4. Grade 4 represented true recurrence, whereas grade 3 indicated unacceptable cosmetic appearance. RESULTS: Recurrence rates of primary, recurrent, and all pterygia in group 1 and group 2 were 3.6%, 16.7%, and 7.5% and 3.7%, 18.2%, and 7.9%, respectively. There was no significant difference in recurrence rates between the 2 groups (P = 1.00 for all). The rates of final appearance as grade 3 were 10.0% in group 1 and 21.1% in group 2, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.048). No major complications occurred during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Although better results in the final appearance were achieved using conjunctival autografting than with AMT, AMT can be a useful alternative in pterygium surgery, especially in those patients who may have a limited amount of conjunctiva for future surgeries.     

羊膜移植联合自体角膜缘干细胞移植对复发性翼状胬肉的效果分析

目的:探讨羊膜移植联合自体角膜缘干细胞移植术治疗复发性翼状胬肉的效果及其影响因素。方法:对复发的翼状胬肉患者行胬肉切除 羊膜移植 自体角膜缘干细胞移植术,观察术后植片情况、角膜创面愈合时间、取材区愈合情况和患者症状;随诊观察术后复发率。结果:28例(32只眼)复发翼状胬肉患者行胬肉切除 羊膜移植 自体角膜缘干细胞移植,随诊6~12个月,平均7.6个月,角膜创面上皮愈合时间为3~7d,平均(4.4±1.5)d;最后复诊时28例(32只眼)患者中4只眼复发,复发率为12.5%;所有患者取材区实现上皮化愈合。结论:翼状胬肉切除联合羊膜移植和自体角膜缘干细胞移植能有效地减少复发性翼状胬肉的术后复发;对角膜缘受累范围大的患者应注意医源性角膜缘干细胞损害的风险。眼科学报2007;23:227-230.     

Amniotic membrane graft for primary pterygium: comparison with conjunctival autograft and topical mitomycin C treatment

AIM: To study the efficacy and safety of amniotic membrane graft as an adjunctive therapy after removal of primary pterygium, and to compare the clinical outcome with conjunctival autograft and topical mitomycin C. METHODS: 80 eyes of 71 patients with primary pterygia were treated with excision followed by amniotic membrane graft. The result was compared retrospectively with 56 eyes of 50 patients receiving conjunctival autograft, and 54 eyes of 46 patients receiving topical mitomycin C. Patients were followed for at least 6 months, and the averaged follow up periods for the three groups were 13.8, 22.8, and 18.4 months, respectively. RESULTS: There were three recurrences (3.8%) in the amniotic membrane graft group, three recurrences (5.4%) in the conjunctival autograft group, and two recurrences (3.7%) in the topical mitomycin C group. There was no significant difference in recurrence rate among the three groups (p = 0.879). No major complications occurred in the amniotic membrane graft group or the conjunctival autograft group. One case of infectious scleritis due to scleral ischaemia occurred in the topical mitomycin C group. CONCLUSION: This study showed that amniotic membrane graft was as effective as conjunctival autograft and mitomycin C in preventing pterygium recurrence, and can be considered as a preferred grafting procedure for primary pterygium.     

The results of amniotic membrane transplantation for primary pterygium compared with conjunctival autograft

PURPOSE: To study the efficacy and safety of amniotic membrane transplantation as an adjunctive therapy after surgical excision of primary pterygium and to compare the clinical outcome with that of conjunctival autograft. METHODS: Eighty-six eyes of 78 patients with primary pterygium were operated on by a single surgeon (N.T.). All patients were randomized to undergo amniotic membrane or conjunctival autograft transplantation as an adjuvant therapy after pterygium excision. Forty-four eyes in 39 patients were treated with amniotic membrane transplantation (AM group), and 42 eyes of 41 patients were treated with conjunctival autograft (CG group). Patients were followed up at 1 week, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperation. The main outcome measurement was a recurrence rate after surgery. RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 14.40 +/- 5.4 months in the AM group and 12.35 +/- 3.13 months in the CG group. There were 18 recurrences (40.9%) in the AM group and two (4.76%) in the CG group, which was significantly different among both groups (P < 0.007). The cumulative proportion that were recurrence-free at 12 months was 0.6 +/- 0.15 for the AM group and 0.95 +/- 0.07 for the CG group (P = 0.0003, Log-rank test). The cumulative nonrecurrence rate at 6 and 12 months in all patients stratified by age and sex was not significantly different (P = 0.28 and P = 0.9, Log-rank test). No major complications were observed in either group. CONCLUSION: The surgical results of primary pterygium excision followed by amniotic membrane and conjunctival autograft transplantation were compared. It was found that amniotic membrane transplantation for pterygium surgery has an unacceptably high recurrence rate.     

Limbal versus conjunctival autograft transplantation for advanced and recurrent pterygium

PURPOSE: To compare the safety and efficacy of limbal versus conjunctival autograft transplantation for treating advanced and recurrent pterygia. DESIGN: Randomized, prospective clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-nine patients with advanced primary or recurrent pterygia treated by conjunctival (n = 36) or limbal-conjunctival (n = 43) autograft transplantation. INTERVENTION: Twenty four eyes with primary and 12 eyes with recurrent pterygia underwent free conjunctival autograft transplantation (group A), and 28 eyes with primary and 15 eyes with recurrent pterygia underwent limbal-conjunctival autograft transplantation (group B). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Recurrence of pterygium and complications. RESULTS: With a 3-year minimum of follow-up, 2 cases of primary (8.3%) and 4 cases of recurrent (33.3%) pterygia in group A showed recurrence. No patients in group B developed recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: In this study both techniques were effective in cases of advanced primary pterygia with no statistically significant difference. Limbal transplantation appeared more effective than free conjunctival transplantation for treatment of recurrent pterygia (P < 0.05).     

Comparison of the Efficacy of Pterygium Resection Combined with Conjunctival Autograft versus Pterygium Resection Combined with Amniotic Membrane Transplantation

 PURPOSE:To compare the efficacy of pterygium resection combined with conjunctival autograft versus pterygium resection combined with amniotic membrane transplantation in the treatment of pterygium. METHODS:A total of 118 cases (133 eyes) were randomly assigned to receive pterygium resection combined with conjunctival autograft (n=81) or pterygium resection combined with amniotic membrane transplantation (n=52). Corneal wound healing and neovascularization and the presence or absence of conjunctival proliferation and hyperemia were analyzed at 12 months post-operatively. RESULTS:In the conjunctival autograft group, 6 eyes (7.4%) had recurrent pterygium, while in the amniotic membrane transplantation group, 10 eyes showed recurrence (19.2%, P<0.05, chi-square). Patients in the conjunctival autograft group recovered significantly faster compared with those in the amniotic membrane transplantation group. CONCLUSION:Patients receiving pterygium surgery combined with conjunctival autograft had lower recurrence rates and experience faster recovery compared with those undergoing pterygium resection combined with amniotic membrane transplantation.     

Sutureless amniotic membrane transplantation combined with narrow-strip conjunctival autograft for pterygium

To study the efficacy and safety of sutureless amniotic membrane transplantation combined with narrow-strip conjunctival autograft and to investigate the clinical outcomes. Thirty eyes of 30 patients with primary pterygia were treated in this institutional study with excision followed by sutureless amniotic membrane transplantation combined with narrow-strip conjunctival autograft using fibrin glue tissue adhesive. The main outcome measures were the operating time for ocular surface reconstruction, the size of the pterygium and of the conjunctival autograft, postoperative complications, subjective complaints, and recurrences. The mean pterygium size was 3.12 ± 0.92 mm and the mean operating time was 4.58 ± 1.10 min. Twenty-nine patients (96.7%) had no complaints after first postoperative week. Twenty-eight (93.3%) patients had no recurrences after 1 year follow-up. The sutureless amniotic membrane transplantation combined with narrow-strip conjunctival autograft is an effective procedure with low rate of recurrence. This technique can be considered as a preferred grafting procedure for primary pterygium but further randomized controlled studies including larger populations are needed.     

Comparison of de-epithelialized amniotic membrane transplantation and conjunctival autograft after primary pterygium excision

PURPOSE: To study the efficacy of de-epithelialized amniotic membrane (AM) graft (AmbioDry, Okto Ophtho Inc., Costa Mesa, CA, USA) as an adjunctive therapy after primary pterygium excision in comparison to standard conjunctival autograft. METHODS: A retrospective review of 23 eyes of 22 patients receiving pterygium excision followed by AM transplantation was performed. The results were compared retrospectively with 40 eyes of 36 patients receiving conjunctival autograft after pterygium excision. All patients were Hispanic. Recurrence was defined as regrowth of fibrovascular tissue over the corneoscleral limbus onto clear cornea in the area of previous pterygium excision. RESULTS: The pterygium recurrence rates after AM graft and conjunctival autograft were 35 and 25%, respectively. There was no significant difference in recurrence rate between the two groups (P=0.56). The mean follow-up period was 5.9+/-2.4 months. No major complications were noted in either group. CONCLUSION: This study provides preliminary evidence that de-epithelialized AM graft is as effective as conjunctival autograft in preventing pterygium recurrence in this Southern California Hispanic population.     

The recurrence of pterygium after different modalities of surgical treatment

Purpose

To assess and compare the recurrence rate of pterygium after limbal stem cell transplantation versus amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) as ocular surface reconstructing measures in recurrent pterygium, also evaluation of the use of antimetabolite drugs as adjunctive therapy for AMT.

Patients and methods

Prospective randomized comparative study included 60 eyes of 48 patients with recurrent pterygia. Informed consents were taken from all patients.Primary pterygium excision was performed 6–15 months ago; the cases were divided randomly into three equal groups:Group 1: included 20 eyes with excision of the pterygium and application of limbal stem cell transplantation with conjunctival autograft, group 2: included 20 eyes with excision of the pterygium followed by AMT and group 3: included 20 eyes in which surgical excision of pterygium was followed by intra-operative application of low-dose of MMC (0.05%) for 3 min then using AMT.

Results

The study included 36 males and 12 females of age ranged from 28 to 52 years. The recurrence rate was 2 eyes in group 1 (10%) (limbal stem cell transplantation + conjunctival autograft), 6 eyes in group 2 (30%) (AMT) and 4 eyes (20%) in group 3 (MMC + AMT). The rate of recurrence was significantly different between the three groups (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Limbal stem cell transplantation together with conjunctival autografting proved to be more effective in prevention of pterygium recurrence and in rapid restoration of normal epithelial morphology. MMC in addition to AMT decreases the incidence of recurrence.Abbreviations: AMT, amniotic membrane transplantation; MMC, mitomycin C     

Long-term follow-up study of mitomycin eye drops as adjunctive treatment of pterygia and its comparison with conjunctival autograft transplantation

We observed 48 patients for 7-21 months (mean, 18 months) after pterygium excision and 2 weeks of placebo or mitomycin topical therapy to evaluate whether or not the short-term efficacy of mitomycin in preventing pterygium recurrence would be reflected in long-lasting efficacy as well. Placebo-treated pterygia showed a 73% recurrence rate. One of 58 (1.7%) mitomycin-treated pterygia recurred (p less than 0.05). We also performed a pilot study comparing pterygia treated with excision followed by 0.4 mg/ml of mitomycin to pterygia treated with excision coupled with conjunctival autograft transplantation to estimate the number of patients required for a randomized clinical trial comparing these two treatment modalities and thereby to decide whether or not such a study would be justified. Thirteen primary and two recurrent pterygia were treated with mitomycin, while 14 primary and one recurrent pterygia were treated with conjunctival autograft transplantation. With mean follow-up times of 4 and 6 months, respectively, no recurrences were noted in the mitomycin-treated group, while the conjunctival autograft transplantation group had one recurrence (6.6%). We estimate that 400 patients would be required for a properly designed clinical trial comparing these two effective therapies for prevention of recurrent pterygia. We conclude that such a study is unjustified, and further conclude that the vastly less expensive, simple therapy of mitomycin eye drops is the more appropriate treatment.     

羊膜移植与自体角膜缘联合结膜移植治疗复发性翼状胬肉比较

目的 观察羊膜移植术与自体角膜缘联合结膜移植术治疗复发性翼状胬肉的临床疗效.方法 40例（46眼）复发性翼状胬肉随机分成A、B 2组.A组20例（22眼）行羊膜移植术;B组20例（24眼）行自体角膜缘联合结膜移植术.结果 A组19眼术后效果良好,3眼术后不同程度复发,复发率13.64%;B组23眼术后效果良好,1眼术后5月复发,复发率4.17%.结论 自体角膜缘联合结膜移植术较单纯羊膜移植术治疗复发性翼状胬肉较有效.     

角膜缘上皮移植与羊膜移植治疗原发性翼状胬肉的对比观察

目的：对比观察翼状胬肉切除联合角膜缘上皮移植术与羊膜移植术对原发性翼状胬肉复发率的影响。
　　方法：采用随机对照分组的方法将我院手术治疗的原发性翼状胬肉患者99例103眼随机分为A,B两组。 A组为角膜缘上皮移植术组( n=54眼),采用翼状胬肉切除联合角膜缘上皮移植术;B组为羊膜移植术组( n=49眼),采用翼状胬肉切除联合羊膜移植术。术后随访1a,以泪膜破裂时间( breaking-up time,BUT)、复发率等指标作为分析参考指标。
　　结果：术后1a,联合角膜缘上皮移植术组有4眼(7.4%)复发。联合羊膜移植术组有11眼(22.5%)复发。两组复发率比较,差异有统计学意义( P<0.05)。两组间BUT比较无统计学意义(P>0.05)。
　　结论：相比羊膜移植术,翼状胬肉切除联合角膜缘上皮移植术治疗原发性翼状胬肉,能更有效的降低术后复发率。     

Outcome of pterygium surgery: analysis over 14 years

AIM: To report the outcome of pterygium surgery performed at a tertiary eye care centre in South India. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of medical records of 920 patients (989 eyes) with primary and recurrent pterygia operated between January 1988 and December 2001. The demographic variables, surgical technique (bare sclera, primary closure, amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT), conjunctival autograft (CAG), conjunctival-limbal autograft (CLAG), or surgical adjuvants), recurrences and postoperative complications were analysed. RESULTS: A total of 496 (53.9%) were male and 69 (7.5%) had bilateral pterygia. Bare sclera technique was performed in 267 (27.0%) eyes, primary conjunctival closure in 32 (3.2%), AMG in 123 (12.4%), CAG in 429 (43.4%), and CLAG in 70 (7.1%). Adjuvant mitomycin C was used in 44 (4.4%) cases. The mean duration of follow-up was 8.9+/-17.0 and 5.9+/-8.8 months for unilateral primary and recurrent pterygia, respectively. The overall recurrence rate was 178 (18.0%). Following primary and recurrent unilateral pterygium excision respectively, recurrences were noted in 46 (19.4%) and 1 (33.3%) eyes after bare sclera technique, five (16.7%) and 0 after primary closure, 28 (26.7%) and 0 with AMG, 42 (12.2%) and five (31.3%) with CAG, and nine (17.3%) and two (40%) with CLAG. Recurrences were significantly more in males with primary (23.3 vs 10.7%, P<0.0001) and recurrent (26.7 vs 0%, P=0.034) pterygia, and in those below 40 years (25.2 vs 14.8%, P=0.003). CONCLUSION: CAG appears to be an effective modality for primary and recurrent pterygia. Males and patients below 40 years face greater risk of recurrence. Bare sclera technique has an unacceptably high recurrence. Prospective studies comparing CAG, CLAG, and AMG for primary and recurrent pterygia are needed.     

羊膜和桥状结膜瓣移植治疗翼状胬肉

目的研究翼状胬肉切除加羊膜和桥状结膜瓣移植治疗翼状胬肉的疗效。方法31例翼状胬肉患者两眼分别行翼状胬肉切除加羊膜和桥状结膜瓣移植和单纯翼状胬肉切除加羊膜移植，比较二者治疗后翼状胬肉复发率。结果随访1．5a。前者翼状胬肉复发率为3.22％，后者复发率为16．12％。二者相比有显著性差异（P〈0．01）。结论翼状胬肉切除加羊膜和桥状结膜瓣移植治疗翼状胬肉远期复发率低，值得推广。     

Outcome of double-headed pterygium surgery

PURPOSE: To evaluate the postoperative outcome and recurrence rate of bare sclera technique combined with intraoperative application of mitomycin C (MMC) 0.02% for 5 minutes in the treatment of primary and recurrent double-head pterygia. METHODS: A prospective, noncomparative interventional case series of 13 eyes in 13 patients with primary (n = 10) or recurrent double-head pterygia in one eye operated on by one surgeon (R.A.). They all had bare sclera excision combined with intraoperative application of MMC 0.02% for 5 minutes. All patients were followed postoperatively for recurrence of the lesion, aesthetic outcome, and incidence of eye complications. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 36.3 +/- 3.8 months for the patients with primary and 28.4 +/- 2.7 months for the patients with recurrent double-head pterygia. There was only one recurrence in one of the three eyes in the group with recurrent pterygia (33.33%). The only significant complication observed was a pyogenic granuloma in two of the recurrent and one of the primary cases. CONCLUSIONS: The bare sclera technique combined with intraoperative MMC 0.02% for 5 minutes is an effective and safe procedure for double-head pterygia. This method can serve as a useful alternative to amniotic membrane transplantation in countries where the latter is not available and in patients in whom conjunctival autograft is not feasible.     

Clinical outcome study of a modified surgical technique for pterygium excision

BACKGROUND: Pterygium is a common condition that has many and varied surgical management techniques. Our aim was to describe and evaluate the safety and efficacy of a modified tissue-sparing surgical procedure for management of pterygium. METHODS: This was a retrospective, clinical outcome study of 67 consecutive pterygium head excisions and mini inferior conjunctival autografts (PHEMICA), performed by a single senior surgeon over 7 years. The technique evaluated was a modified pterygium head removal and inferior conjunctival autograft, maximising host tissue preservation. RESULTS: Group A (primary pterygia): 5.25% recurrence rate (3 of 57 eyes). Group B (recurrent pterygia): 30% recurrence rate (3 of 10 eyes). No major complications occurred. One partial autograft necrosis was noted (1.5%, 1 of 67 eyes), with full resolution. INTERPRETATION: The described technique is fast, safe, and effective with a 5.25% recurrence rate in those with primary pterygia. It is not, however, recommended in the treatment of recurrent pterygia; this group of patients requires a more radical excision with a larger autograft and the use of adjuncts such as mitomycin C.     

自體结膜角膜缘上皮和异體羊膜移植术治疗翼状胬肉的临床研究

目的 觀察自體结膜角膜緣上皮移植術和异體羊膜移植術治療翼狀胬肉的臨床效果。方法 對55例(73只眼)行自體結膜角膜緣上皮移植術,隨訪1-17月,平均8.9月;對35例(46只眼)行异體羊膜移植術,隨訪1-14月,平均7.7月。结果兩組病例中初發性翼狀胬肉均無復發,而復發性翼狀胬肉的復發率分别為10.53％和6.67％,兩者無顯著性差异(P>0.05),但后者術后反應輕、上皮恢復快。结論 自體結膜角膜緣上皮移植術和异體羊膜移植術均是治療翼狀胬肉的良好方法,以后者為佳,治療翼狀胬肉的關鍵在于初發性手術方式的選擇。