Recurrence rate using fibrin glue-assisted ipsilateral conjunctival autograft in pterygium surgery: 2-year follow-up

Aims: To determine the recurrence rate after pterygium excision with psilateral conjunctival autograft using fibrin glue. Methods: One hundred eleven eyes of 92 patients operated for primary pterygium were retrospectively evaluated for recurrence rate and intraoperative and postoperative complications. Pterygia were preoperatively divided in atrophic/grade 1 (n = 2; 1.80%), intermediate/grade 2 (n = 85; 76.58%), or fleshy/grade 3 (n = 24; 21.62%) types. All patients were operated using an ipsilateral conjunctival autograft fixed with fibrin glue. Only patients with 2-year follow-up were included in this study. Results: Two years after surgery, the mean recurrence rate was 4.50% (n = 5). No intraoperative complications were noted. Postsurgical complications were graft pseudoedema (n = 45; 40.54%), graft retraction (n = 3; 2.70%), and donor site granuloma (n = 1; 0.90%). Conclusion: Fibrin glue-assisted ipsilateral conjunctival autograft seems to be safe and efficacious and associated with a low rate of recurrence. Copyright © 2010 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.