title: Pterygium recurrence after excision with conjunctival autograft: a comparison of fibrin tissue adhesive to absorbable sutures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the rate of recurrence after pterygium excision with conjunctival autograft (CAG) using Tisseel fibrin tissue adhesive versus absorbable sutures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-seven eyes of 42 patients who had undergone primary pterygium excision surgery with CAG were retrospectively reviewed. The study group, CAG adhered using Tisseel tissue adhesive (n = 27), were compared with the control group, CAG adhered using absorbable sutures (n = 20). Postoperative courses were followed for 22-36 months after surgery. Rates of recurrence were compared using logistic regression. Recurrence was defined as regrowth of fibrovascular tissue 1 mm past the corneoscleral limbus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The recurrence rate in the Tisseel group was 3.7% compared with 20% in the sutured group (P = 0.035). Recurrence rate in the Tisseel group was comparable to previously reported rates for CAG with sutures in the literature. There was a significant inverse relationship between age and rate of recurrence overall (P = 0.025). There was no difference in time to recurrence between the groups -- with an average time to recurrence of 3.13 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a predominantly Southern California population where there is an overall higher rate of pterygium recurrence, Tisseel tissue adhesive may improve surgical outcomes with equal to or lower long-term recurrence rates than previously reported.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. mfarid@uci.edu
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farid
authors.forename: Jonathan Ramin
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Pirnazar
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000637:transplantation*; D005260:Female; D015718:Fibrin Tissue Adhesive / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011625:Pterygium / Q000601:surgery*; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013537:Sutures; D013997:Time Factors; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
chemical_list: D015718:Fibrin Tissue Adhesive