The following is a summary of “Long-term outcomes of glued (sutureless) amniotic membrane transplantation in acute Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis: a comparative study,” published in the March 2024 issue of Ophthalmology by Rashad et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess and compare the efficacy and efficiency of glued (sutureless) amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) technique versus traditional sutured AMT in managing acute Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN).

They involved patients diagnosed with SJS/TEN (2008 to 2020) who underwent AMT during the acute phase as per the protocol. Patients with at least one ophthalmic follow-up in the chronic phase were included. Key objectives encompassed assessing best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) during the latest visit, identifying severe ocular complications (SOC) based on predefined criteria, and analyzing procedure duration and time to procedure. The analysis employed a random effects model to scrutinize the influence of potential covariates on outcome measures.

The results showed 23 patients (45 eyes) were included in the study, with 14 patients (27 eyes) in the AMT suture group and 9 patients (18 eyes) in the AMT glue group. No notable difference was observed between the two groups in terms of BCVA at the most recent visit (P=0.5112) or the occurrence of a SOC (P=1.000). The glue method’s duration was significantly shorter than the suture method (P<0.001). Analysis using a random effects model further indicated no significant difference in BCVA at the most recent follow-up between patients who underwent glued versus sutured AMT (P=0.1460).

Investigators concluded that the new glued technique for AMT offers equivalent effectiveness to sutures in treating SJS/TEN but with the benefit of a faster and more efficient procedure.

Source: bjo.bmj.com/content/early/2024/03/15/bjo-2023-324076