Comparative study of intraoperative mitomycin C and beta irradiation in pterygium surgery

To compare the rate of recurrence and complication after surgery for primary pterygium performed by one surgeon using either intraoperative mitomycin C or beta irradiation.

A retrospective study was performed of 164 eyes in 164 patients who had undergone primary pterygium surgery. After the pterygium was excised, the bare sclera was covered by sliding adjacent superior conjunctiva. 103 eyes received intraoperative mitomycin C (0.04%, 150 seconds) and 61 eyes beta irradiation (total dose 21.6 Gy). The mean follow up period was 20.2 (SD 17.9) months (range 1-66 months). Recurrence was defined as the postoperative regrowth of fibrovascular tissue crossing the corneoscleral limbus.

The recurrence rate after mitomycin C and beta irradiation was 8.74% and 23.0% of eyes, respectively, after mean follow up of 17.9 and 31.2 months, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed a significantly better outcome for those who had intraoperative mitomycin C (Mantel-Cox log rank analysis, p=0.031). The mean interval to recurrence was not significantly different between the two groups. During the follow up, none of the patients showed side effects or reactions related to mitomycin C or beta irradiation.

The intraoperative administration of 0.04% mitomycin C is more effective than beta irradiation as an adjunctive treatment for pterygium surgery in the patient population examined in this study.