A Comparison of Amniotic Membrane Allograft, Conjunctival Autograft and Primary Closure for Primary Pterygium Excision

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effect of amniotic membrane allograft, conjunctival autograft and primary closure in the prevention of recurrence of pterygium after primary pterygium excision. Methods: In our studies, the amniotic membrane group included 28 eyes from 27 patients (mean age, 52.3±12.5 y/o). Primary closure group included 27 eyes from 25 patients (mean age, 54.1±9.7 y/o). The conjunctival autograft group included 32 eyes from 30 patients (mean age, 60.9±12.8 y/o). After excision of pterygium, the amniotic membrane or the conjunctival autograft was transplanted to cover the exposed sclera and was secured episclerally with interrupted 8-0 Vicryl sutures. Results: In the mean follow-up period of 19.1±4.0 months (range, 6-23 months) of the patients who receive amniotic membrane grafts, the recurrence rate was 7%. The recurrence rate of primary closure groups was 33% in the mean follow-up period of 19.3±4.4 months (range, 6-24 months). In the mean follow-up period of 18.4±4.2 months (range, 7-25 months) of the patients who received conjunctival autograft, the recurrence rate was 3%. None of these three groups suffered from severe complications. The recurrence rate of amniotic membrane grafts was higher than that of the conjunctival autograft and significantly lower than the rate of the primary closure. Conclusions: In our clinical study, the relatively low recurrence rate of pterygium following amniotic membrane transplantation allows one to use this method as an alternative way to prevent recurrence of primary pterygium.