The Application of Fibrin Glue (Tissucol Duo Quick) in External Eye Surgeries

Biologic adhesives have been used in medicine for many years. It has been applied to numerous surgical fields. As for the ophthalmic field, The use of organic glues has provided good results for the repair of leaking blebs and perforated corneal ulcers, conjunctival closure in strabismus surgery, surgery for retinal detachment, cataract surgery, trabeculectomy, and mucous membrane grafting to repair lesions of the conjunctival fornix. The fibrin sealants are prepared from fibrinogen, thrombin, and sometimes factor XIII that have been purified from human plasma. Tissucol Duo Quick (Baxter, Vienna, Austria)is a kind of fibrin sealants with popular use. It is a 2-component tissue adhesive that resembles natural fibrin formation. This glue has 2 components: fibrinogen (mixed with factor XIII and aprotinin) and thrombin-Calcium Chloride solution. When equal amounts of the 2 components are mixed, the monomers aggregate by cross-linking, resulting in a fibrin clot. It forms a elastic, whitish substance and provides strong adhesion to the tissue. Therefore, it is a good agent to seal small wounds or to replace the use of suture.

Pterygium is a triangular-shaped growth of abnormal conjunctival tissue that extends horizontally from the bulbar conjunctiva, across the limbus, and onto the cornea. Surgical removal is still the treatment of choice. Over the years, various treatment strategies such as simple excision with or without adjunctive measures (eg, postoperative [beta]-irradiation, intraoperative, and/or postoperative mitomycin C) and various techniques of conjunctival grafting have been tried to decrease recurrence after surgery. Conjunctival autograft and amniotic membrane transplantation are commonly used methods. However, they are time-consuming techniques because the graft must be fixed, usually by sutures. Tissue adhesives provide alternative ways for attaching conjunctival grafts and may shorten operating time, diminish postoperative discomfort, and remove suture-related complications. Using tissue adhesive instead of sutures results in shorter operation time. It has been reported by several studies. Furthermore, it seems also contributed to lower recurrence rate. National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), as one of the largest tertiary medical centers in Taiwan, is now in charge of a big part of difficult cases of ocular surface, including the refractory pterygium. With the previous experiences reported, the investigators are competent for this meaningful program to evaluate the effect and benefit of fibrin adhesives in external eye disease.