Comparison of argon green laser and high-frequency radio-wave electrosurgery for conjunctivochalasis

Session Details

Session Title: Presented Poster Session: New & Interesting I

Venue: Poster Village: Pod 3

First Author: : S.Choi SOUTH KOREA

Co Author(s): :                           

Abstract Details

Purpose:

Patients with conjunctivochalasis(CCh) may report symptoms such as a foreign body sensation, ocular irritation, pain, epiphora, dry eye, or ulceration. Various surgical approaches have been reported to reduce CCh. Recently, argon green laser is a simple and effective approach with which to treat symptomatic CCh, especially in cases of grade Ⅰ and Ⅱ CCh. High-frequency radio-wave electrosurgery is another simple approach to the treatment of CCh. We compare the relative effectiveness of 2 new surgical approaches, the argon green laser and high-frequency radio-wave electrosurgery.

Setting:

This prospective case-series, randomized, comparative, observational study was performed at a single center. All the patients provided informed consent after receiving a full explanation of the treatment process, the risks involved, and the alternatives available.

Methods:

64 eyes from 38 patients with mild, moderate, severe conjunctivochalasis were randomly assigned to 2 groups. One group was treated with the argon green laser, and the other group was treated with the high-frequency radio-wave electrosurgery. The ocular symptoms and signs, including the conjunctivochalasis grade, the tear Ocular Surface Disease Index(OSDI), the tear breakup time(TBUT), the Schirmer’s test results were measured. The independent t-test was used for the analysis of grade reduction and the differences in TBUT, Schirmer’s test, and OSDI results obtained during each procedure.

Results:

The average grade reduction was 1.15 in laser group and 2.09 in electrosurgery group (p<0.001). The differences of the OSDI, TBUT and Schirmer’s tests results were 15.53, 1.06, 0.03 in laser group and 27.11, 1.87, 0.19 in electrosurgery group (p<0.001, p=0.140, and p=0.787). The grade reduction was 1, 1.25 and 1 in grade Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ laser group and 1, 1.66 and 3 in grade Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ electrosugery group. (p=1, p=0.045, p<0.001) The differences of the OSDI score was 17.19, 14.4 and 17.36 in laser group and 22.88, 27.86 and 28 in electrosurgery group. (p=0.531, p<0.001, p=0.014).

Conclusions:

Conjunctivoplasty using either the argon green laser or the high-frequency radio-wave is a simple and effective choice for the treatment of symptomatic patients with conjunctivochalasis. In terms of accessibility, the argon green laser is easily accessible and equally effective in patients with grade Ⅰ CCh, whereas, in patients with grade Ⅱ and Ⅲ CCh, high-frequency radio-wave electrosurgery is more effective than the argon green laser.

Financial Disclosure:

None