Role of Intralesional 5-Flourouracil as Primary Treatment of Early Pterygium

Aneeqa Naz; Rana intesar ul haq; Asfandyar; Naila Obaid; Tehmina Nazir; Ayesha Majeed

doi:10.51253/pafmj.v76iSUPPL-1.13499

Authors

Aneeqa Naz Department of Ophthalmology, Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan
Rana intesar ul haq Department of Ophthalmology, Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan
Asfandyar Department of Ophthalmology, Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan
Naila Obaid Department of Ophthalmology, Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan
Tehmina Nazir Department of Ophthalmology, Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan
Ayesha Majeed Department of Ophthalmology, Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v76iSUPPL-1.13499

Keywords:

Early-Stage Pterygium, Intralesional 5-Fu, Recurrence Rate, Size Reduction, Treatment Efficacy.

Abstract

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to assess the impact of intralesional 5-FU in early stage pterygium in terms of size reduction, visual acuity improvement, intraocular pressure and efficacy of 5-FU.

Study Design: Quasi experimental study.

Place and Duration of Study: Ophthalmology Department, Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jun 2024 to May 2025.

Methodology: The study included 130 patients diagnosed with early-stage pterygium, treated with a single dose of intralesional 5-FU and follow-up assessments conducted at 1week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months. Follow-up assessments included pterygium size, visual acuity, intraocular pressure and slit-lamp examination.

Results: The study included 130 participants with a mean age of 45.2±10.1 years, with 53.8% aged 45 years or younger. The gender distribution was nearly equal (53.8% males and 46.2% females). Most participants (73.1%) had unilateral pterygium, and 60% had Grade 1 pterygium. Treatment with intralesional 5-FU resulted in a significant reduction in pterygium size (3.1±1.2 mm pre-treatment to 2.0±0.8 mm post-treatment, p<0.001). Visual acuity improved from a pre-treatment log MAR score of 0.25±0.18 to 0.18±0.14 post-treatment (p=0.02). Efficacy was observed in 85.31% of patients, with higher efficacy in younger males and those with Grade 1 pterygium (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Intralesional 5-FU is an effective and safe primary treatment for early-stage pterygium, demonstrating significant reduction in lesion size and low recurrence rates. Further studies with longer follow-up and control groups are needed to validate these findings.

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