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Pterygium removal, conjunctival transplant yield low recurrence and complication rates
Pterygium extended removal followed by extended conjunctival transplant resulted in lower recurrence and complication rates compared to other surgical methods, according to a study.
The prospective study included 1,000 consecutive patients who underwent pterygium surgery. All but eight patients were monitored for at least 1 year postoperatively.
A total of 806 primary pterygium removals and 194 recurrent pterygium removals were completed. All surgery was performed by a single surgeon.
Seven patients required additional surgery, including three graft replacements, strabismus surgery, pterygium recurrence, inclusion cyst and granuloma.
“If these findings are replicated by other surgeons, then it would be reasonable to suggest that this method should no longer be used,” the study author said. “The advantage of these outdated methods was simplicity and speed, which are also the principal advantages of the methods that have generally replaced these, namely, bare sclera technique with adjunctive radiotherapy or cytotoxic agents, both of which reduce the unacceptable recurrence rate of bare scleral close to less than 15%.”