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CompletedNCT05314673Updated Apr 6, 2022

Preoperative Bevacizumab Injection in Primary Pterygium in Tunisian Patients

A Phase 4 interventional study of Preoperative Intra-lesional Bevacizumab Injection in primary pterygium and pterygium surgery without adjunctive therapy in Pterygium, sponsored by University Hospital Fattouma Bourguiba. Completed at 1 site in Tunisia. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-04-06.

Sponsored by University Hospital Fattouma Bourguiba · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was Jan 2021, 5 years 10 months ago, and no results have been posted to the registry.
  • Registered 3 years 1 month after the study started (first participant enrolled Jan 2019, registered Feb 2022).
Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Purpose: To assess the efficacy and safety of a single preoperative intra-lesional bevacizumab injection in primary pterygium.

Methods: The investigators conducted a randomized controlled interventional study from January 2019 to December 2020. The study included a total of 60 patients (60 eyes) with primary pterygium. The investigators defined two groups of 30 patients each. Group A received an intralesional injection of bevacizumab (Avastin), one month before surgery (lesion excision and conjunctival autograft). Group B (control) had only the surgical treatment. Patients were followed up seven days (D7), one month (M1), three months (M3), and six months (M6) post-operatively. Pre-, per- and post-operatively, photographs of the lesions were taken, as well as a pathological examination. The main outcome measures were the change in functional discomfort following intralesional bevacizumab injection and pterygium recurrence. Recurrence was defined by fibrovascular tissue growth extending more than 1 mm across the limbus. Therapeutic success was defined as the absence of pterygium recurrence in M6.

Read the detailed description

This prospective randomized controlled study adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. The Ethics Committee of our institution approved its modalities. The investigators had informed consent from all participants. The study included a total of 60 eyes of 60 patients with primary pterygium between January 2019 and December 2020. The investigators divided the patients into two groups of 30 patients each. The investigators performed a simple randomization method using a table of random numbers. Group A received an intralesional injection of 0.05 ml (1.25 mg) of Bevacizumab, one month before surgical treatment (lesion excision and conjunctival autograft by a single trained surgeon). Group B (control) had only the surgical treatment.

Each patient underwent a complete ocular examination: BSCVA, refraction, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, fundoscopy, and intraocular pressure measurement.

The investigators classified pterygium according to its stage (the Vaniscotte et al. Classification), grade (according to Tan et al. grading scheme), and color intensity (according to Teng et al : 0 = unremarkable, 1 = trace, 2 = mild, 3 = moderate, 4 = diffuse). The investigators measured Its corneal surface with Image J software. The study included patients over 18-years-old having primary pterygium with surgical indications:

  • Stages 2, 3 and 4
  • Significant astigmatism > 1.50 PD
  • Patients with significant functional signs: according to a discomfort score that The investigators proposed.

Non-inclusion criteria were recurrent pterygium, suspected pterygium (sentinel vessels, resistant inflammation), and filtering surgery indication. Excluded were patients lost to follow-up or having a bevacizumab contraindication (hypertension, bleeding tendencies, previous myoredial infarction or stroke, pregnant and lactating women).

Pre-operative data gathered included basic demographic information (age and sex), medical and ophthalmological history, and involved eye(s).

The subjective variables: 1) photophobia; 2) foreign body sensation; 3) Ocular itching; 4) tearing, and 5) ocular redness; 6) visual blur, were evaluated according to their severity from 0 to 10 (visual analog scale (VAS)). The investigators assessed this score in each visit.

The surgical technique featured :

  1. subconjunctival anesthetic (lidocaine 2%) injection 5 mm from limbus;
  2. excision of the pterygium, starting from its head, followed by pterygium body removal;
  3. exposition of a triangular-shaped bare scleral bed (3-4 mm)
  4. conjunctival autograft stitched limbus to limbus with 10/0 vicryl suture Any intraoperative complication was noted and was treated accordingly. All cases were given dexamethasone + tobramycin eye drops postoperatively 4 times a day in the 1st week. The eye drops were tapered over 4 weeks.

Patients were examined 30 days before Bevacizumab injection (D-30) and surgery and then at D7, M1, M3, and M6 after surgery. The investigators assessed recurrence at each visit. Both groups (day 0: D0) had a per-operative histopathological examination.

02

Conditions studied

  • Pterygium

Keywords

  • pterygium
  • bevacizumab
  • recurrence
  • Vascularity
  • subconjunctival
03

In context

Pterygium

109 studies on the registry are indexed under Pterygium; 9 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 60 is close to the median of 60 across 93 interventional studies indexed under Pterygium.

Browse Pterygium studies →

Lead sponsor

University Hospital Fattouma Bourguiba is the lead sponsor of 4 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • clinical diagnosis of primary pterygium (stages 2,3 and 4) with surgical indication.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • unable to attend the whole follow-up
  • Bevacizumab (hypertension, bleeding tendencies, previous myocardial infarction or stroke, pregnant and lactating women).
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
60 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Preoperative intralesional injection of bevacizumab + pterygium excision+ autograft

    Patients receiving intralesional injection of 0.05 ml (1.25 mg) of Bevacizumab, one month before surgical treatment. Surgical treatment consisted of lesion excision and conjunctival autograft performed by a single trained surgeon.

    Drug: Preoperative Intra-lesional Bevacizumab Injection in primary pterygium

  • Active comparator
    pterygium excision+ autograft

    Patients undergoing only pterygium surgical treatment.

    Procedure: pterygium surgery without adjunctive therapy

Interventions

  • DrugPreoperative Intra-lesional Bevacizumab Injection in primary pterygium

    The surgical technique featured: subconjunctival anesthetic (lidocaine 2%) injection 5 mm from limbus; excision of the pterygium, starting from its head, followed by pterygium body removal; exposition of a triangular-shaped bare scleral bed (3-4 mm) conjunctival autograft stitched limbus to limbus with 10/0 vicryl suture Any intraoperative complication was noted and was treated accordingly. All patients received dexamethasone + tobramycin eye drops postoperatively 4 times a day in the 1st week. The eye drops were tapered over 4 weeks. Patients were examined 30 days before bevacizumab injection (D-30), before surgery (day 0: D0) and then at D7, M1, M3, and M6 after surgery.

  • Procedurepterygium surgery without adjunctive therapy

    The surgical technique featured: subconjunctival anesthetic (lidocaine 2%) injection 5 mm from limbus; excision of the pterygium, starting from its head, followed by pterygium body removal; exposition of a triangular-shaped bare scleral bed (3-4 mm) conjunctival autograft stitched limbus to limbus with 10/0 vicryl suture

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Incidence of recurrence

    growth of fibrovascular tissue extending more than 1 mm across the limbus.

    Time frame: 6 months post-operatively

  2. Rate of functional discomfort following intralesional bevacizumab injection

    The subjective variables: 1) photophobia; 2) foreign body sensation; 3) Ocular itching; 4) tearing; 5) ocular redness; and 6) visual blurring, were evaluated according to their severity from 0 to 10 (visual analogue scale (VAS)).

    Time frame: 6 months post-operatively

Secondary outcomes

  1. Rate of mean changes from baseline in BCSVA

    one Snellen line

    Time frame: 6 months post-operatively

  2. Rate of mean changes from baseline in astigmatism

    Astigmatism change \> 0.25

    Time frame: 6 months post-operatively

  3. % of patients with change in morphology of pterygium after injection

    We classified pterygium according to its stage (the Vaniscotte et al. Classification), grade (according to Tan et al. grading scheme), and color intensity (according to Teng et al: 0 = unremarkable, 1 = trace, 2 = mild, 3 = moderate, 4 = diffuse).

    Time frame: one month

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Dhouha Gouider
    Ariana, Illinois 2037, Tunisia
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes

Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Informed consent form, Clinical study report, Analytic code

Time frame: They are available

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 6, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05314673
Lead sponsor
University Hospital Fattouma Bourguiba
Responsible party
Khairallah Moncef (Professor, University Hospital Fattouma Bourguiba) — Principal investigator
First posted
Apr 6, 2022
Start date
Jan 1, 2019
Primary completion
Jan 1, 2021
Completion
Jan 1, 2021
Last update
Apr 6, 2022

Study contacts

Moncef Khairallah
principal investigator · Monastir University Hospital

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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