Superior versus Inferior Conjunctival Limbal Autograft with Sutures in the Management of Primary Pterygium in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Dakshina Kannada - A Cross Sectional Study
BACKGROUND Pterygium excision with conjunctival limbal autograft (CAU) is one of the most frequently used modalities in the treatment of pterygium. The graft has traditionally been harvested from the superior bulbar conjunctiva, but this may not be possible in all patients. The purpose of this study was to compare the intraoperative difficulties and early postoperative outcomes between superior and inferior CAU in the management of primary pterygium. METHODS This hospital based cross sectional study evaluated 58 eyes of 50 patients with primary pterygium who underwent pterygium excision with conjunctival limbal autograft secured with the help of sutures over a period of 2 years from March 2018 to March 2020. In 28 eyes, the superior bulbar conjunctiva was used for grafting whereas in 30 eyes, the inferior conjunctiva was used for the same. The outcome measured was in terms of the mean surgical time, clinical symptoms and signs in the early postoperative period and recurrence rate. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 44.14 ± 12.71 years in the superior CAU group and 45.76 ± 14.51 years in the inferior CAU group. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean surgical time (68.39 ± 31.51 in superior group, 2.60 ± 0.79 in inferior group; P value 0.712). The duration of follow-up after surgery was significantly more (P = 0.048) in the inferior CAU group (42.60 ± 11.71 days) as compared to the superior CAU group (37.39 ± 7.52 days). Postoperative symptoms were comparable, and no recurrence was observed in either of the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Pterygium excision with inferior conjunctival limbal autograft is safe and effective in the management of primary pterygia and may be considered as an alternative to superior graft in cases where harvesting the superior conjunctiva is not possible or not advisable. KEYWORDS Primary Pterygium, Conjunctival Limbal Autograft, Inferior Graft