title: Relationship between angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in recurrent pterygium.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between angiogenesis and lymphangigenesis in recurrent pterygia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tissues from 34 excised recurrent pterygia (including 12 Grade 1, 10 Grade 2, and 12 Grade 3) were involved in the study and tissues from 7 nasal epibulbar conjunctivae segments were used as controls. Sections from each pterygium were immunostained with CD(31) and LYVE-1 monoclonal antibodies to evaluate lymphatic microvessel density (LMVD) and blood microvessel density (BMVD), and the relationship between LMVD and BMVD in the pterygium was examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a large number of CD(31) ((+))LYVE-1((-)) blood vessels but only a few CD(31) ((+))LYVE-1((+)) lymphatic vessels in grades 1 and 2 pterygium. However, lymphatic vessels were dramatically increased in grade 3 pterygium. LMVD correlated closely with BMVD in all pterygia, including grades 1, 2 and 3 peterygium patients (all P values <0.01). Although both the density of blood and lymphatic vessels increased in recurrent pterygia, lymphatic vessels developed much faster than blood vessels, especially in grade 3 pterygia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a significant but not parallel relationship between angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in recurrent pterygium. The outgrowth of blood and lymphatic vessels provide evidence that immunological mechanism may play a role in the development and recurrence of pterygium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Chao-Xiu
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Xiao-Dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Jie-Zhen
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Shi-Qi
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Ling
keywords: angiogenesis; lymphangiogenesis; recurrent pterygium