Background: Conjunctival sutures used in pterygium surgery are not only time-consuming process but also may lead to local complications such as discomfort, scarring, granuloma, or infection. Plasma-derived products such as fibrin glue may produce possible hypersensitivity reactions whereas the risk of viral transmission remains theoretically possible. We describe a simple method of achieving conjunctival autograft adherence during pterygium surgery avoiding potential complications associated with the use of fibrin glue or sutures.
Materials and methods: After pterygium excision and fashioning of the autologous conjunctival graft, the recipient bed is encouraged to achieve natural hemostasis and relative desiccation before graft placement. Excessive hemorrhage in the graft bed is tamponed. Graft adherence and positioning is examined 12-15 min after surgery.
Results: A total of 205 cases of pterygium underwent excision with conjunctival autograft without using sutures or glue. Mean follow-up time was 14.6 months. Cosmesis achieved was excellent in all cases. There were no intraoperative complications seen. Recurrence was seen in 6.8% of cases (14 cases). Nasal gaping was seen in 36% of cases (74 cases), which healed spontaneously without any surgical intervention.
Conclusion: This simple technique for pterygium surgery is not only cost effective and quick but also may prevent potential adverse reactions encountered with the use of foreign materials and in this large series provided safe and comparable results to current methods.
Keywords: Autograft; glue; pterygium.