Effects of intraoperative steroid injection on the outcome of pterygium surgery

To evaluate the effects of intraoperative triamcinolone injection on the outcome of pterygium surgery.

This prospective study included 54 eyes with primary nasal pterygia that underwent pterygium surgery with a bare-sclera technique and intraoperative mitomycin C application. Patients were randomized into two groups; the steroid group that received subconjunctival injection of 12 mg triamcinolone acetonide at the end of surgery, and the control group that did not receive such steroid injection. Main outcome measures included presence of conjunctival inflammation at 1 month postoperatively as well as recurrence of pterygium.

Twelve-month follow-up was completed in 48 eyes (23 in the steroid group and 25 in the control group). At 1 month postoperatively, different grades of conjunctival inflammation were present in 11 (47.8%) of the steroid group and in 14 (56%) of the control group (P=0.39). For eyes with moderate or severe postoperative inflammation, subconjunctival triamcinolone was injected; these included 6 (26.1%) and 9 (36%) in the steroid and control groups, respectively (P=0.54). During follow-up, surgical area showed fine episcleral vessels without fibrous tissue in 1 (4.3%) of the steroid group and 3 (12.0%) of the control group (P=0.33), which all regressed after triamcinolone injection. Conjunctival recurrence of pterygium was seen in 2 (8.7%) of the steroid group and in 1 (4.0%) of the control group (P=0.47). No eye developed corneal recurrence in either group.

In pterygium surgery with a bare-sclera technique and mitomycin C application, intraoperative triamcinolone injection did not significantly reduce postoperative conjunctival inflammation or pterygium recurrence.