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Comparison of autologous fibrin glue versus nylon sutures for securing conjunctival autografting in pterygium surgery

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Abstract

Purpose

To compare the safety, operating time, postoperative ocular signs, symptoms, overall patient satisfaction, complications rate and recurrence rate of autologous fibrin glue (AFG) and nylon suturing (NS) for attaching conjunctival autografts in pterygium surgery.

Methods

A prospective, randomized, interventional study was performed among 120 patients (120 eyes) with primary pterygium. Superior conjunctival autograft was harvested and transferred on to bare sclera after pterygium excision. For attaching the autograft, AFG (n = 60 eyes) and NS (n = 60 eyes) were used. The patients were followed up for 12 months. The groups were compared for the safety, operative time, postoperative ocular signs, symptoms, overall patient satisfaction, recurrence and complications rate.

Results

All conjunctival autografts in both groups were successfully attached. The average operating time for the AFG group was significantly shorter (P < 0.001). Postoperative symptoms were fewer for the AFG group than the suture group. After 12 months of follow-up, no recurrence was reported for the AFG group, but 8.3% of patients experienced recurrence in the NS group.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated the superiority of AFG to NS in saving operating time and elimination of recurrence without any complications in pterygium surgery. AFG can obviate the need for suturing and increases the viability of tissue flaps. Additional studies are necessary to determine the long-term effects considering factors such as primary or recurrent status of pterygium, age and sex of patient, dose and duration of treatment for mitomycin C.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Surgical Oncology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Daryoush Hamidi Alamdari

  2. Cornea Department and Eye Research Center, Khatam-al-Anbia Eye Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Mohamad-Reza Sedaghat, Reza Alizadeh, Siamak Zarei-Ghanavati, Hashem Naseri & Fatemeh Sharifi

Authors
  1. Daryoush Hamidi Alamdari
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  2. Mohamad-Reza Sedaghat
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  3. Reza Alizadeh
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  4. Siamak Zarei-Ghanavati
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  5. Hashem Naseri
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  6. Fatemeh Sharifi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Siamak Zarei-Ghanavati.

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Conflicts of interest

The authors have no financial interest relevant to the materials presented in this manuscript.

Ethical issue

The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of Declaration of Helsinki 1996 version and Good Clinical Practice standards. The study protocol was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.

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Alamdari, D.H., Sedaghat, MR., Alizadeh, R. et al. Comparison of autologous fibrin glue versus nylon sutures for securing conjunctival autografting in pterygium surgery. Int Ophthalmol 38, 1219–1224 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-017-0585-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-017-0585-4

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