Comparison of self-made cryopreservative fibrin glue and commercial fibrin glue kit in pterygium surgery: 1-year follow-up.

PURPOSE: To assess long-term efficacy and safety of self-made cryopreservative fibrin glue (SMC) applied in pterygium surgery.

METHODS: Prospective, comparative, interventional case series. Forty eyes of 40 patients with nasal primary pterygium, 24 male and 16 female, were enrolled. The patients were assigned to two groups and each contained 12 male and eight female based on the pterygium area encroaching onto the cornea. In one group, the conjunctival autograft was attached to the sclera with SMC stored for 2 months, and in the other group, commercial fibrin glue kit (CK) was applied after the pterygium was removed. All the patients were followed up postoperatively on days 1, 3, 7 and 14 then at months 1, 3, 6, 12. The main outcome measures included operating time, postoperative discomfort, recurrence rate and complications.

RESULTS: There were no significant differences in surgery time (p = 0.713) and postoperative discomfort (day 1, 3, 7; p = 0.747, p = 0.766, p = 0.983, respectively) between the two groups. By the end of 1-year follow-up, the recurrence rate was 0% in the SMC group and 5% in the CK group (p = 1.000). There were no infections and severe visual acuity (VA) threatening complications in either group.

CONCLUSION: Self-made cryopreservative fibrin glue (SMC) is as effective as standard CK for autograft fixation in pterygium surgery and it also has good safety after long-term follow-up. For its convenience and low cost, this new methods should be popularized, especially in underdeveloped area.