Prospective trial of intraoperative mitomycin C in the treatment of primary pterygium.

AIMS A prospective, randomised, double blind, placebo controlled study of intraoperative mitomycin C as adjunctive treatment of primary pterygium was conducted. METHODS A total of 66 eyes of 54 patients with primary pterygium were treated with excision, with or without a single intraoperative application of mitomycin C (0.1 mg/ml for 5 minutes) to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of this adjunctive treatment. The mean follow up was 14.1 months (range 12-23 months). RESULTS Of the 36 eyes that underwent simple excision, 14 (38.8%) exhibited recurrences whereas only one of 30 eyes (3.33%) treated with excision and intraoperative application of mitomycin C had recurrence (p = 0.0006). Neither serious ocular complications nor systemic toxicity were noted in the mitomycin C treated group. CONCLUSION Intraoperative mitomycin C appears to be an effective and safe adjunctive treatment of primary pterygium.