Patients undergoing primary pterygium excision may fare better with adjunctive use of cyclosporine A (CsA) compared with excision alone, a new meta-analysis suggests.

To reach this conclusion, researchers from China looked at seven prospective comparative studies of primary pterygium patients who underwent excision with or without other methods (e.g., grafting) vs. pterygium excision combined with other methods + CsA. The analysis revealed the control group who did not use CsA had a significantly increased risk of pterygium recurrence (2.71 odds ratio) compared with patients who underwent excision with adjunctive CsA.

Futher analysis also showed no significant difference in recurrence between those who had CsA + pterygium excision + limbal conjunctival autograft or flap rotation and those without adjunctive CsA usage but pterygium excision + limbal conjunctival autograft or flap rotation.

“Adjuvant use of CsA can significantly reduce the risk of pterygium recurrence compared with pterygium excision alone,” the researchers said in the study. However, it may not reduce the risk of pterygium recurrence for patients treated by excision with limbal conjunctival autograft or conjunctival flap rotation.