Open AccessThe cut‐and‐paste method for primary pterygium surgery: long‐term follow‐up
Author(s) -
Koranyi Gabor,
Seregard Stefan,
Kopp Eva Dafgård
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1600-0420
pISSN - 1395-3907
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0420.2005.00465.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pterygium , sclera , fibrin glue , surgery , retrospective cohort study , fibrous joint
Abstract. Objective: To evaluate the recurrence rate, reoperation rate and side‐effects of a novel technique for pterygium surgery.Design: Retrospective study.Participants: The study included 461 eyes of 381 patients operated for primary nasal pterygium by the same surgeon between 1994 and 2003 and followed for 23 ± 20 months (range 6–112 months).Methods: Autologous conjunctival grafts harvested at the superotemporal limbus were used to cover the sclera after pterygium excision. Using a retrospective chart review, the outcome after attaching the transplant to the sclera with a fibrin tissue adhesive ( n = 325) was compared to the outcome after graft attachment using absorbable sutures ( n = 136).Main outcome measures: Recurrence rate, reoperation rate and complications.Results: The recurrence rate was 5.3% in the glue group and 13.5% in the suture group (p = 0.01). The reoperation rates were 1.2% and 3.3%, respectively (p = 0.31). Complications, such as transient transplant oedema and persistent corneal epithelial defects, occurred equally in both groups.Conclusion: Using a fibrin tissue adhesive instead of sutures when attaching the conjunctival transplant in primary pterygium surgery results in a significantly lower recurrence rate.