Pterygium Surgery: Wide Excision with Conjunctivo-Limbal Autograft

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of conjunctivo-limbal autograft after wide excision of primary and recurrent pterygia. METHODS: Twenty-one eyes of 18 patients with primary pterygium and 18 eyes of 18 patients with recurrent pteygium underwent conjunctivo-limbal autograft after wide excision of pterygium. All patients underwent follow-up for more than six months. Recurrence rates and complications were evaluated. RESULTS: With a minimum of six months of follow-up, fibrovascular tissue in the excised area, not invading the cornea, was noted in one eye (5.6%) in the recurrent pterygium group but no further surgical interventions for the cosmetic problem were needed. One eye (4.8%) showed wound dehiscence, three eyes (14.3%) showed subgraft hemorrhage, and one eye (4.8%) showed subconjunctival fibrosis at the donor site in the primary pterygium group, while two eyes (11.1%) showed subgraft hemorrhage, and one eye (5.6%) showed Tenon's Capsule granuloma at the donor site in the recurrent pterygium group. CONCLUSIONS: Conjunctivo-limbal autograft after wide excision of pterygium can be considered an effective treatment with low recurrence rates for both primary and recurrent pterygia.