The Outcome of Surgical Treatment of Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis by Simple Excision Only, Excision with Conjunctival Autograft or Amniotic Membrane Transplantation

Background: Giant papillary conjunctivitis [GPC] is a type of inflammatory disease of the eye formed of "giant" papillae in the superior tarsal conjunctiva.
Aim of the work: We have compared the effect of refractory giant papillary conjunctivitis management surgically with excision with and without conjunctival autograft or amniotic membrane transplantation.
Patients and Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial conducted in the Ophthalmology Department, Al-Azhar University Hospitals, Egypt in the period from  January 2022 to January  2023  included 45 patients presenting with giant papillary conjunctivitis who were treated surgically by one of the following techniques divided into 3 groups: group [1]; included 15 patients had undergone simple surgical excision of giant conjunctival papillae only, group [2];  included 15 patients had undergone surgical excision with conjunctival autograft and group [3];  included 15 patients had undergone surgical excision with amniotic membrane transplantation [AMT].
Results: Results of this study reported that recurrence occurred higher in simple excision [10.7%] with a significant difference between groups [p value=0.021], also dry eye was higher in the same group [17.9%] with no significant difference. Conjunctival inflammation was higher in excision with AMT [10%] with no significant difference. Scar had been formed in one eye of simple excision patients only while vascularization was in one eye of excision with autologous conjunctival graft only.
Conclusion: AMT or autologous conjunctival graft following excision of giant conjunctival papillae may reduce the chances of recurrence; also, surgical outcomes are better than that reported with the simple excision.