Short-Term Result of Triple Procedure in Pterygium Surgery

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the success and complication rates of triple procedure, including pterygium excision, marginal amniotic membrane insertion beneath the conjunctiva, and limbal-conjunctival autograft in pterygium surgery. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study on 45 eyes of 45 patients who underwent pterygium surgery between August 2011 and October 2012. After pterygium excision, amniotic membrane was placed beneath the conjunctiva along the margin of the exposed sclera followed by a limbal conjunctival autograft. Success rates, intraoperative and postoperative complications were evaluated. RESULTS: Forty-three eyes with primary pterygium and 2 eyes with recurrent pterygium were enrolled in the present study. The mean age of the patients was 59.87 +/- 14.30 years with a mean follow-up of 12.9 +/- 4.6 months. There were no complications during surgery. Early postoperative complications included partial wound dehiscence in 1 eye and a simple conjunctival cyst on the autografted conjunctiva in the another eye. No clinically significant recurrence (G2, G3) was noted during the observational periods. Thirty-nine (86.7%) and 6 (13.3%) eyes were graded as G0 and G1, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our surgical technique not only has the benefits of the limbal conjunctival autograft acting as a barrier against fibrovascular invasion of the cornea and supplying stem cells to the corneal epithelium but also has antiangiogenic effects of amniotic membrane with minimal use. In addition, this technique is a safe surgical method in primary and recurrent pterygium.