Interrupted Versus Running Sutures for Amniotic Membrane Fixation in Cases of Resistant Infected Corneal Ulcers

Background: Infected corneal ulcers that don't show any healing within two weeks despite proper medical treatment are considered resistant and need surgical intervention [1] the amniotic membrane transplantation has been used to treat resistant corneal ulcers because it acts as a bioactive substratum that accelerates epithelial healing [2].

Aim of the Work: comparison between interrupted and running sutures for amniotic membrane fixation in cases of resistant infected corneal ulcers.

Patients and Methods: This prospective, comparative, interventional randomized study was carried out on 40 eyes with resistant infected corneal ulcers. They underwent amniotic membrane transplantation as an adjunctive to the medical treatment. Divided into 2 groups: group A (interrupted suture group) and group B (running suture group). The duration of study was 12 months.

Results: The duration of healing in group A ranged from 25 to 40 days with mean duration of 34.25±4.94 days, while in group B the duration of healing ranged from 20 to 40 days with mean duration of 31.0±6.61 days. UDVA didn’t improve in 65% of cases in group A and 45% of cases in group B.

Conclusion: Amniotic membrane transplantation is an adjunctive surgical procedure for the management of infectious corneal ulcer by promoting wound healing and reducing inflammation. We noticed that the running suture adhered the amniotic membrane firmly to the entire corneal surface so it accelerated the corneal epithelial healing and made it less affected with eyelid movement and less annoying to patient.