A Retrospective Study To Compare The Recurrence Rate After Treatment Of Pterygium By Conjunctival Autograft, Primary Closure, And Amniotic Membrane Transplantation

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of conjunctival autograft compared with primary closure and amniotic membrane transplantation for primary pterygium excision.Material/Methods: Data were retrospectively studied from all primary pterygium excisions from January 2002 to December 2017 from the electronic database at the University Eye Hospital, Tubingen.Results: From 521 primary pterygium excisions, 284 (54.5%) were primary closures, 203 (39.0%) were conjunctival autografts, and 34 (6.5%) were amniotic membrane transplants. The mean number of primary pterygium excisions was 33 per year (range, 14-56 per year). The mean patient age was 58 +/- 15 years. Younger age was associated with a significantly increased recurrence rate (P=0.002). The mean pterygium recurrence rate in the three study groups at 12 months after surgery was 11.3% (range, 6.4-14.7%). Recurrence occurred 13 patients (6.4%) in the conjunctival autograft group, 41 patients (14.4%) in the primary closure group, and five patients (14.7%) in the amniotic membrane transplantation group. Conjunctival autograft was associated with a significantly lower recurrence rate (P=0.005).Conclusions: A retrospective study at a single center to compare conjunctival autograft with primary closure and amniotic membrane transplantation for primary pterygium excision showed a significantly lower recurrence rate after surgery using a conjunctival autograft.