title: Role of concanavalin A lectin in recognition of pterygium remnant after surgical excision: preliminary results of a prospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pterygium is one of the most common conjunctival diseases among ophthalmic pathologies. The frequency of recurrences is high, either after surgical treatment or after treatment combined with mitomycin C or beta-radiation therapy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine whether concanavalin A (ConA) lectin bound to the pterygial surface can be used to detect recurrence or remnants of pterygium after surgical excision.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective study on 20 patients with pterygium, divided in five stages, pre-surgery, early post-surgery (24h), late post-surgery (seven days), very late post-surgery (four weeks) and two months after the procedure. A drop of fluorescein-marked Con A (35 microg/mL) was instilled in the lower conjunctival eyelid sac and the eye was exposed to the light of a Wood's lamp for an average of five seconds.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the 20 patients, eight patients were found to have fluorescent stretch marks over the scar corresponding to residual pterygial tissue at four weeks; two months after the procedure of re-surgery we observed no fluorescent remnants. All residual pterygia were confirmed through histochemistry studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was possible to detect remnants of pterygium in postoperative patients and recurrences in early pre-clinical stages through the visualization of fluorescent ConA bound to the pterygial surface.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Dr. Aurelio Valdivieso General Hospital, Health Services of State of Oaxaca, Mexico.
authors: Juan A
authors: JA
authors: Díaz-González
authors: Miguel A
authors: MA
authors: Mayoral-Chávez
authors: Paulina Leyva
authors: PL
authors: Bohórquez
authors: Ma del Pilar Gabriel
authors: Mdel P
authors: de la Torre
authors: Pedro
authors: P
authors: Hernández-Cruz
authors: Ruth
authors: R
authors: Martínez-Cruz
authors: Eduardo
authors: E
authors: Pérez-Campos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D003208:Concanavalin A; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008934:Mitogens; D010784:Photomicrography; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011625:Pterygium / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D051381:Rats; D012008:Recurrence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D008934:Mitogens; D003208:Concanavalin A
references: Cornea. 2001 Mar;20(2):164-7
references: 11248821
references: Cornea. 2005 Jul;24(5):583-6
references: 15968165
references: Histochemistry. 1975 Jul 16;44(1):39-45
references: 52638
references: Histochemistry. 1976 May 28;47(2):159-69
references: 60314
references: Biochemistry. 1977 Jan 25;16(2):159-66
references: 836781
references: Eur J Immunol. 1979 Jun;9(6):434-9
references: 499325
references: Scand J Immunol. 1980;12(2):165-70
references: 7444382
references: Histochemistry. 1981;73(1):39-47
references: 6274829
references: J Histochem Cytochem. 1982 Oct;30(10):1079-82
references: 6182185
references: J Biol Chem. 1996 Jan 12;271(2):972-6
references: 8557713
references: Nippon Ganka Gakkai Zasshi. 1997 Jan;101(1):83-6
references: 9028112
references: J Immunol. 1997 Aug 1;159(3):1418-28
references: 9233639
references: Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 1997 Feb;8(1):41-4
references: 9260218
references: Teratog Carcinog Mutagen. 1997;17(3):103-14
references: 9436260
references: J Neurobiol. 1999 Apr;39(1):29-40
references: 10213451
references: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1999 Jul;40(8):1631-6
references: 10393028
references: Albrecht Von Graefes Arch Klin Exp Ophthalmol. 1975;193(3):177-87
references: 1078959