Healing indicators after pterygium excision proposed

(HealthDay)—After pterygium excision, the sequence of tissue restoration appears to start in the cornea and end in the limbal area, according to a study published online March 31 in Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics.

Pere Pujol, from the Hospital de Terrassa in Spain, and colleagues used optical coherence tomography images taken at one week, and one, three, and six months after lesion excision to establish the sequence of tomographic changes in the tissue recovery process after pterygium excision. Images were included from 73 eyes of 73 patients with primary nasal pterygium.

The researchers found that 11 eyes displayed lesion recurrence (R group), while no recurrence (NR) was seen in 62 eyes. Both groups demonstrated similar results with respect to variable graft thickening, with a decrease of cases that showed graft thickening over time (P > 0.05). At one month, when no eye had presented clinical recurrence, there was greater identification of corneal epithelium in the NR group (P = 0.04). The NR group tended to have more frequent corneal and conjunctival epithelium identification at three months versus the R group (both P = 0.0001). These patterns consolidated at six months, with a significantly higher number of limbal demarcation areas identified in the NR group (P = 0.001); this feature was never found in the R group.

"Further studies are necessary to test the predictive value of these healing indicators," the authors write.

Copyright © 2015 HealthDay. All rights reserved.