title: Safety and efficacy of human amniotic membrane in primary pterygium surgery.
abstract: Grafts made from human amniotic membrane are used to prevent recurrence of pterygium after excision. The success of the procedure can be affected by the quality of preparation and preservation of the grafts. We prospectively evaluated the safety and efficacy of cryopreserved amniotic membrane prepared at the research tissue bank of the Biotechnology Research Center in Tripoli, Libya, and used as adjunct therapy in primary pterygium excision. Twenty-six patients (15 males and 11 females) aged 21-78 years and indicated for primary pterygium excision were transplanted at the Tripoli Eye Hospital with the amniotic membrane grafts. Sixteen patients (62 %) were available for all three follow-up visits scheduled at 1, 3 and 6 months post-surgery. By the third visit, two patients (12.5 %) developed granuloma and three (18.8 %) had pterygium recurrence. The grafts were used after cryopreservation for ≤180 days or >180 days, but statistical analysis showed that the complications were not associated with the length of storage. Moreover, the high rate of complications in this study was not caused by use of cryopreserved AM. In conclusion, locally produced cryopreserved AM is safe as an adjunct therapy for treatment of primary pterygium excision.
authors.affiliation: Tissue Banking Research Group, Biotechnology Research Centre (BTRC), Tweisha, Libyan Authority for Research, Sciences and Technology, P. O. Box 30313, Tripoli, Libya. nagimarsit@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Nagi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Marsit
authors.affiliation: Tripoli Eye Hospital, Tripoli, Libya.
authors.forename: Nagmeden
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gafud
authors.affiliation: Tripoli Eye Hospital, Tripoli, Libya.
authors.forename: Inass
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kafou
authors.affiliation: Tissue Banking Research Group, Biotechnology Research Centre (BTRC), Tweisha, Libyan Authority for Research, Sciences and Technology, P. O. Box 30313, Tripoli, Libya.
authors.forename: Adel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mabrouk
authors.affiliation: Tripoli Eye Hospital, Tripoli, Libya.
authors.forename: Aml
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alatiweel
authors.affiliation: Tissue Banking Research Group, Biotechnology Research Centre (BTRC), Tweisha, Libyan Authority for Research, Sciences and Technology, P. O. Box 30313, Tripoli, Libya.
authors.forename: Sedigh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abdalla
authors.affiliation: Tripoli Eye Hospital, Tripoli, Libya.
authors.forename: Lamia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sheghewi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000650:Amnion / Q000637:transplantation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D011625:Pterygium / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Amniotic membrane; Cryopreservation; Eye surgery; Graft; Pterygium; Transplantation