Efficacy and Safety of Intraoperative Mitomycin C as Adjunct Therapy for Pterygium Surgery

Abstract

PURPOSES: The primary objective of this study was to determine if intraoperative application of mitomycin C (MMC) is safe as an adjunct for pterygium surgery. The secondary objectives of the study were to determine if MMC reduces pterygium recurrence rate and to evaluate the effect of MMC on intraocular pressure. METHODS: We conducted a nonconcurrent prospective study of 68 patients with primary or recurrent pterygium. Patients underwent a comprehensive eye examination preoperatively and postoperatively to evaluate for possible complications associated with the use of MMC. The recurrence rate of pterygia was also included in the data. RESULTS: We examined a total of 68 patients (68 eyes). The follow-up time ranged from 12 to 98 months (mean = 27.7 +/- 28.8 months). Only 2 postoperative complications were reported: a scleral dellen and a conjunctival cyst. Eight patients (12.0%) with primary pterygium had a recurrence of pterygia after surgery. However, no recurrences occurred in patients with previous recurrent pterygia. CONCLUSIONS: Findings in our study suggest that MMC is efficacious in preventing recurrences and a safe adjunct therapy during pterygium surgery. Findings in our study suggest that intraoperative MMC application leads to few complications while providing a significant reduction in the recurrence rate.