[Thiotepa eyedrops for prevention of pterygium recurrence: 18 years of use]

To analyze effectiveness and side effects of thiotepa eyedrops utilized to prevent postoperative pterygium recurrence, with a retrospective study allowing a long follow-up.

This work deals with 64 cases of pterygium, among them 8 were recurrent. Only growing or very important pterygiums were operated on (14 cases were reaching the pupillary area). Surgical techniques were simple ones (almost always excision with simple conjunctival closure or translation of conjunctival flaps, no corneal grafts). Following surgery, patients received thiotepa eyedrops (dilution: 1/2000), four times a day, during 6 to 8 weeks.

Tolerance of treatment was good on the whole, and there was no important complications. There were only 2 cases of recurrence (3%).

Thiotepa was effective and allowed us to avoid using complex surgical techniques to prevent recurrence (especially corneal grafts), even in recurrent pterygiums or pterygiums reaching the pupillary area.