Effects of Two Methods for the Treatment of Primary Pterygium on Corneal Epithelial Healing and Recurrence

[Objective] To compare the clinical effects of corneal limbal stem cell transplantation and mitomycin C on the basis of the simple pterygium excision for the treatment of primary pterygium.[Methods]A total of 102 cases(122eyes) were divided into two groups randomly.50 cases(60eyes) and 52 cases(62eyes) were treated by corneal limbal stem cell transplantation(stem cell group) and mitomycin C(mitomycin C group) respectively on the basis of the simple pterygium excision.All cases were followed up for 1～2 years after operation.[Results]The average epithelium recovery time of corneal wound were 4.0±0.8 days(stem cell group) and 7.3 ± 1.7 days(mitomycin C group) respectively.The differences of two groups were significant(t=14.08,P0.01).Two eyes relapsed in the stem transplant group(recurrence rate was 3.3%),and 14 eyes relapsed in the mitomycin C group(recurrence rate was 22.58%),and the difference was significant(χ2=9.91,P0.01).[Conclusion] The corneal limbal stem cell transplantation has short recovery time and low recurrence rate.It is a valuable surgical method for primary pterygium and should be popularized.