Efficacy of postoperative short-term therapy of topical bevacizumab in recurrent pterygium surgery

Abstract

Background: The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of postoperative short-term therapy (for 2 weeks) of topical bevacizumab in recurrent pterygium surgery regarding to corneal vascularization and pterygium recurrence. Methods: This prospective randomized comparative study included two groups of patients with recurrent pterygium, all eyes were subjected to pterygium excision with conjunctiva auto graft, and group A (30 eyes of 30 patients) was treated with postoperative topical tobramycine and dexamethazone for 2 weeks. Group B (30 eyes of 30 patients) was treated also with postoperative topical tobramycine and dexamethazone in addition to topical bevacizumab 5 mg/mL 4 times daily for 2 weeks. Follow-up of cases up to 6 months was performed recording corneal vascularization and pterygium recurrence. Results: The results revealed that after 6 months, group A treated with postoperative tobramycine and dexamethazone reported 5 eyes of recurrence (16.7%) which not significantly (P=0.44726) (P>0.05) different from group B treated with the addition of topical bevacizumab which reported 3 eyes of recurrence (10%). But group B showed significantly different in decreasing corneal neovascularization than group A (P=0.000805) (P Conclusions: Postoperative short-term therapy of topical bevacizumab in recurrent pterygium surgery by conjunctiva auto graft showed lower recurrence rate but not statistically significant, But it reduced significantly corneal neovascularization.