Rev Bras Oftalmol.2025;84:e0031
Different therapeutic preferences for recurrent pterygia. Questionnaire in recurrent pterygia
DOI: 10.37039/1982.8551.20250031
ABSTRACT
Objective:
To assess ophthalmologists’ preferred techniques and adjuvant treatments for recurrent pterygium.
Methods:
An observational study in which a questionnaire was administered to ophthalmologists who regularly performed surgeries for recurrent pterygium.
Results:
Most surgeons did not use antiangiogenic therapy but preferred postoperative corticosteroids for one month. Symblepharon lenses were used only when available. The surgeons removed the pterygium head, including the conjunctiva and Tenon capsule, without invading the caruncle or base, preferring to remove the body first, followed by the head, with intermediate Tenon capsule resection. In cases where an autologous conjunctival graft was not possible, simple closure was preferred. Commercial fibrin glue was commonly used, with no specific adjuvant therapies postoperatively. Surgeons with over ten years of experience preferred removing the body and head first, using more mitomycin postoperatively, and favoring any available graft, while those with less experience preferred delaminating and using more sutures. There was greater agreement between the techniques chosen by experienced surgeons and those reported as most effective in the literature.
Conclusion:
Surgical expertise and experience are pivotal in determining the approach for recurrent pterygium, particularly the number of surgeries needed. Preferred techniques included fibrin glue, intermediate Tenon capsule resection, mitomycin-C, and postoperative corticosteroids.