To compare the efficacy between autologous limbal stem cells transplantation and intraoperative application of mitomycin C for the treatment of pterygium.

This was a prospective clinical study. The clinical data of 247 cases of three types of patients with monocular, binocular and recurrent pterygium, who were recruited from Jun. 2014 to Jan. 2017 in People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou were analyzed. The patients were randomly divided into stem cells transplantation group and mitomycin C (MMC) group. All the patients were followed up for 1 year postoperatively. The surgical efficacy were observed.

There were 159 patients with monocular pterygium, 40 patients with binocular pterygium, 48 patients with recurrent pterygium. In patients with monocular pterygium, the recurrence rates of stem cells group and MMC group were 11.25% and 20.25% respectively (χ²=2.431, P=0.119). In patients with binocular pterygium, the recurrence rates of two groups were 19.05% and 15.79% respectively (χ²=0.000, P=1.000). In patients with recurrent pterygium, the recurrence rates of two groups were 12.50% and 45.83%, and the recurrence rate of MMC group was significantly higher than that of stem cells group (χ²=4.941, P=0.026). During MMC groups in three types of patients, the recurrence rate of recurrent patients was significantly higher than that of monocular patients (χ²=6.227, P=0.013).

In patients with recurrent pterygium, the recurrence rate of stem cells transplantation is lower than that of MMC group, but in patients with monocular and binocular pterygium, there is no significant difference between two surgical methods.

Pterygium; Transplantation, stem cells, limbus, autograft; Mitomycin C, intraoperation; Recurrence; Complication