International Journal of Advances In Case Reports

SUTURELESS GLUEFREE TECHNIQUE FOR PTERYGIUM EXCISION: BETTER COSMESIS AND EARLY REHABILITATION

Archna Bhatnagar*, Ajay Kumar Saxena, Aditya Aggarwal

ajay_saxena66@rediffmail.com

Pterygium, Sutureless and gluefree, Fibrin glue, Autologous blood, Limbal Conjunctival Autografting.

Purpose to compare the efficiency and safety of Sutures, Fibrin Glue and Sutureless-Gluefree Technique for Conjunctival Autografting in Pterygium Excision Surgery. In this prospective interventional study, 150 eyes from 150 patients with primary pterygium were included for conjunctival autograft surgery. Patients were randomly divided into three groups: group I (50 eyes) underwent CAG with suture, group II (50 eyes) underwent CAG with fibrin glue and group III (50 eyes) with patient‟s own blood coagulum as adhesive. Three months follow up was done. The patients were closely followed up for a period of 3 months for graft stability, sub graft hemorrhage, graft inflammation, recurrence or any other complication. Patients were also enquired for subjective symptoms like pain, watering, foreign body sensation, and itching. The cosmesis and rehabilitation were better and faster in Group III patients. Grafts were stable in the three techniques, the difference in the three groups were not significant. For sub-graft hemorrhage no significant differences were observed. Post-operative inflammation was seen maximum in suture group and minimum in SGF group at day 1 (p<0.001), day 2 (p<0.001) and day 7 (p<0.001). At 1 month (p=0.122) and 3 month (p=1.000) follow up visit also, inflammation was minimum in Group III also, though the differences was not statistically significant. Post-operative patient subjective symptoms were minimum in group III. The differences among the groups were significant upto 7 day follow up, thereafter they were not statistically significant. 2 patients in Group I (4.3%) and 1 in Group II (2.1%) had recurrence. Statistically, the difference among groups was not significant (p=0.357). Sutureless and gluefree limbal conjunctival autografting following pterygium excision has better cosmesis, faster surgical and more comfortable patient rehabilitation time and is a safe, and economical option for the management of primary pterygium requiring surgical intervention.