Elsevier

Ophthalmology

Volume 107, Issue 2, February 2000, Pages 270-273
Ophthalmology

Original Articles
Limbal-conjunctival autograft transplantation for the treatment of recurrent pterygium1

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0161-6420(99)00041-XGet rights and content

Abstract

Objective

Different investigators have recently emphasized the importance of the limbus and its stem cells in the pathogenesis of the pterygium. In this article we examine the usefulness of limbal-conjunctival autograft transplantation for the treatment of advanced recurrent pterygium.

Design

Prospective noncomparative case series.

Participants

Seven patients with advanced recurrent pterygium. All had previously been treated a minimum of two times by simple excision (two of them with intraoperative mitomycin C).

Intervention

Limbal-conjunctival autograft transplantation after pterygium excision was performed in all cases.

Main outcome measures

Pterygium recurrences and complications with a minimal follow-up period of 14 months.

Results

There were no recurrences of pterygial growth beyond the limbal edge. In addition, no significant complications were noted. Only one case of limited pseudopterygium in the donor site and one case of graft retraction were recorded. No further surgical interventions were needed in any case.

Conclusions

Limbal-conjunctival autograft transplantation is a promising technique for the treatment of advanced recurrent pterygium.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Between June 1997 and April 1998 limbal-conjunctival autografts were performed after pterygium resection on seven eyes of seven patients affected with advanced recurrent pterygia. The patients’ ages ranged between 48 and 74. Five patients were men and two were women. All had previously been treated a minimum of two times by simple pterygium resection, and two of these patients had received mitomycin C intraoperatively during their last surgery. In all cases the pterygia extended at least 3 mm

Results

Preoperative and postoperative data of all cases are detailed in Table 1, Table 1. During the follow-up period there were no recurrences of pterygial growth beyond the limbal edge. Postoperatively, all the sites from where the grafts were taken had epithelialized rapidly without significant scarring. In one case, however, conjunctival epithelialization extended slightly beyond the limbus but not further than the corneal limit of the original graft site. There were no Tenon granulomas or other

Discussion

Despite the multiple types of surgical procedures described for the treatment of the pterygium, the high postoperative recurrence rate shows that there is still not a definitive treatment. The ideal surgical technique is one that is efficacious and safe. Of the procedures used most often to treat recurrent or advanced pterygium, the one that comes closest to achieving this goal is, probably, the conjunctival autograft described by Kenyon and collaborators.6 This procedure reduces recurrence

References (17)

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1

The authors have no proprietary interest in any of the instruments or medications used in this study.

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Copyright © 2000 American Academy of Ophthalmology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.