Complications and Recurrence after Pterygium Excision using Mitomycin C Eye Drops versus Sutureless and Glue Free Conjunctival Autograft: A Prospective Study

Introduction: Recurrence is the most common problem with pterygium excision. Various adjunctive methods have been described to decrease the recurrence rate of pterygium. Mitomycin C (MMC) and limbal Conjunctival Autograft (CAG) are most commonly used methods to reduce its recurrence. Aim: To compare the recurrence rate of pterygium and the complications with MMC eyedrops after bare sclera pterygium excision versus sutureless and glue free CAG. Materials and Methods: Total 104 eyes were divided into two groups (A and B) of 52 eyes each. Group A patients underwent bare sclera excision of pterygium followed by 0.01% MMC eye drops BD (twice a day) for five days and Group B patients had sutureless and glue free CAG using oozing blood as tissue adhesive after pterygium excision. The patients were followed-up postoperatively on day 1, day 3, day 7, one month, three months, six months and one year. All the patients were examined for recurrence and complications. Statistical analysis was done by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16 and student’s t-test was applied for comparison. Results: A total of 104 eyes of 92 patients were divided into two groups (A and B) of 52 each. The mean age of Group A was around 45 year and group B was around 43 years and the difference was statistically insignificant (p>0.05). Total three patients had recurrence in one year of follow-up in group A, out of which first case appeared before the end of 1st month, second before the completion of 3rd month and the third case at the last follow-up. In group B only one case presented with recurrence at 6th month follow-up. The difference between the recurrences in both the groups was statistically insignificant (p>0.05). Short term complications were observed in five patients in group A. One patient had corneal thinning; one had scleral thinning, two patients presented with avascular sclera and one patient with granuloma. In group B, 18 patients with graft retraction, eight with graft oedema, five with sub-conjunctival graft haemorrhage and one with granuloma were observed. All these complications resolved by the time. Long term complications were not observed in any patient of both the groups. Conclusion: This study concluded that the use of MMC eye drops (0.01%) BD or glue free and sutureless CAG after pterygium excision is safe and effective treatment modalities for pterygium.