A clinical study to study and compare pterygium surgery performed from apex and base of pterygium with conjunctival limbal auto-graft and autologous blood

Abstract

Purpose: Pterygium is a fleshy, triangular, or wing-shaped growth of the conjunctiva that encroaches onto the cornea. It is an active, invasive, inflammatory process associated with cellular proliferation, connective tissue remodeling, and angiogenesis.Pterygium excision with conjunctival limabal autograft can both be preformed from apex and base of pterygium. This study was conducted to study and compare surgical outcomes considering recurrence and change in corneal astigmatism following pterygium surgery performed from apex and base of pterygium with conjunctival limbal auto-graft and autologous blood. Methodology: It is a prospective 2-years study of 80 eyes with pterygium presenting in ophthalmology department in hospital. They were operated by pterygium excision with conjunctival limbal autograft from two different sites from base and apex of pterygium tissue. Out of 80 pterygia, 98% were nasally located, 9% were seen in bilateral eyes, 91% of the pterygia were ≤7 mm in size, and 75% were progressive in nature. Results: Recurrences were more common in the patients treated with pterygium excision from apex while post op astigmatism was significantly reduced in patients treated with pterygium excision from base rather than apex. Conclusion: Pterygium excision with conjunctival limbal autograft is a better results when excision is initiated from base in comparision to when excision in done from apex of pterygium.

Keywords: Pterygium, triangular, limbal auto-graft and autologous blood.