Recently published findings of a seven-year study indicate that pterygium excision surgery using the TissueTuck sutureless technique with BioTissue AmnioGraft cryopreserved amniotic membrane results in minimal surgery time and low recurrence and complication rates.
A subset of this research, conducted by Neel R. Desai, M.D., was shared in a paper presentation at the 2023 ASCRS Annual Meeting in May 2023.
Dr. Desai is among the nation’s foremost experts in ocular surface disease. The study is one of the largest pterygium studies to date, including the analysis of 582 eyes of 453 patients who presented with pterygium between January 2012 and May 2019.
Pterygium is a common ocular surface disease characterized by abnormal fibrovascular tissue of the conjunctiva that encroaches onto the cornea and causes visual impairment. After pterygium excision, a gap is created between the remaining conjunctiva and Tenon capsule. TissueTuck technique uses cautery to seal the gap, followed by the placement of cryopreserved amniotic membrane—BioTissue AmnioGraft—that is tucked into the gap to prevent recurrence and improve cosmesis without complications.
“Aside from sealing the gap, this surgical technique offers several other advantages. The operative procedure takes less than 15 minutes on average, which is significantly shorter than the 30 to 60 minutes in procedures that use conjunctival autografts,” said Dr. Desai. “This surgery also preserves the conjunctiva in case of future glaucoma surgery and has innate biological properties known to reduce inflammation, scarring, and angiogenesis.”
The study found that the average time of TissueTuck pterygium excision surgery was 14.7 minutes. Recurrence rate was 2.3% but only 0.7% in cases with primary, single-headed pterygium without mitomycin C treatment (MMC). The BioTissue AmnioGraft amniotic membrane tissue remained secured to the ocular surface throughout the postoperative period.
“At BioTissue, everything we do to discover, develop, and bring to market products and applications is centered on helping physicians as healers and improving the lives of patients. The overwhelmingly positive results of this study are evidence of progress toward that goal,” said Ted Davis, Chief Executive Officer of BioTissue. “It’s exciting to see physicians establish innovative surgical techniques utilizing our groundbreaking products, and with seven years of data showing the efficacy of the TissueTuck technique, we hope to see it become a standard of care.”
Dr. Desai and Bryan Adams, MS3, first shared results of their study last fall in Cornea: The Journal of Cornea and External Disease.
The report can be found via open access at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36130320/
Dr. Desai practices ophthalmology at the Eye Institute of West Florida and is a BioTissue speaker, consultant, and stockholder.