Is the surgical technique of a sutureless and glue-free conjunctivolimbal auto graft after pterygium excision complications free?

Abstract

Context: Sutures or fibrin glue have been used to fix a conjunctival graft after pterygium excision. A new surgical technique of using patient's own blood to affix the conjunctival graft after excision of pterygium has been introduced. This technique is safe, economical and reduces complications related to the use of foreign materials. Aim: The aim was to evaluate the surgical technique of a sutureless and glue-free graft for pterygium surgery in terms of complications such as loss of graft, graft dehiscence, and recurrence. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective interventional study. All patients that came to the outpatients department from July 2012 to December 2012 were included in the study. Pterygium excision with conjunctivolimbal autografting without using suture or glue was carried out in all patients. Patients were followed-up postoperatively up to 6 months. They were examined mainly for postoperative complications. Results: A total of 79 eyes of 74 patients underwent suture less glue-free autologous conjunctivolimbal graft after pterygium excision. There were 53 female (mean age-46.85 years standard deviation (SD) 10.59) and 26 male (mean age-45.04 years SD 17.27) patients. There were 77 cases of primary pterygium and two cases of recurrent pterygium. Medial edge recession of the graft was seen in one case (1.2%), whereas two cases (2.5%) had lost graft on the first postoperative day. There were no recurrences at the end of 6 months. Conclusion: The surgical technique of using a sutureless and glue-free conjunctivolimbal autograft is safe and cost-effective. However, this technique is associated with few complications such as medial edge recession and loss of graft.