Comparison of two different surgical methods for the treatment of pterygium

Abstract

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of transplantation of autologous corneal limbal stem cell and autologous conjunctiva transplantation in the treatment of pterygium. Methods The data of 84 eyes of 68 cases with primary pterygium from Jan. 2015 to Apr. 2016 were collected. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group A, 42 eyes, received pterygium excision combined with autologous limbal stem cell transplantation.Group B, 42 eyes, received pterygium excision combined with autologous conjunctiva transplantation.The follow-up time was 1 year.Corneal epithelial healing time and the recurrence of pterygium were compared between the two groups. Results The time of corneal epithelial healing was (2.87±0.64) days in group A and (4.83±0.76) days in group B, the difference was statistically significant between the two groups (t=3.480, P=0.009). Two eyes relapsed in group A, the recurrence rate was 4.8%; 8 eyes relapsed in group B, the recurrence rate was 11.9%.The differences between two groups were statistically significant(χ2=4.368, P=0.036). Conclusion Autologous corneal limbal stem cell transplantation can accelerates corneal wound recovery, reduces the recurrence of pterygium. Key words: Pterygium; Transplantation, autologous limbal stem cell; Transplantation, autologous conjunctiva