Is there a relation between histopathologic characteristics of pterygium and recurrence rates?

To explore the interrelationships of histopathologic characteristics of pterygium and postoperative recurrence.

Consecutive patients with primary pterygium or recurrent pterygium treated in our tertiary center between January 2007 and January 2010 were included in the study. All the patients were surgically treated by limbal-conjunctival autograft transplantation and postoperatively followed up for at least 1 year. Histopathologic changes were classified as inflammation intensity, degree of vascularization, and fibrinoid change. The results of examination of histopathologic and clinical characteristics of pterygium were comparatively analyzed. A total of 101 consecutive patients were included in the study. Ninety eyes of 90 patients who had primary pterygium (PP group) were compared with 11 eyes of 11 patients who had recurrent pterygium (RP group). In the PP group, 7 of the 90 (7.8%) patients had evidence of recurrence, while in the RP group, 2 of the 11 (18.2%) patients had evidence of recurrence (p=0.254).

No significant difference was found in inflammation intensity, degree of vascularization, and fibrinoid change between PP and RP groups (p>0.05). In the PP group, no significant difference was found for inflammation intensity, degree of vascularization, and fibrinoid change between patients with (7/90) and without recurrences (83/90) (p>0.05). In the RP group, no significant difference was detected for inflammation intensity, degree of vascularization, and fibrinoid change between patients with (2/11) and without recurrences (9/11) (p>0.05).

No significant correlation between the histology of pterygium and recurrence rate could be established.