[Surgery for pterygium with transplantation of an epithelial conjunctival flap. I. Methods]

Advantages and disadvantages as well as the efficacy of the most frequently applied surgical and combined methods of the pterygium therapy are discussed. A personal approach is presented; it consists of excision of the pterygium with a margin of a healthy tissue exposing the sclera and of covering of the conjunctival defect with a free epithelial layer of the bulbar conjunctiva from the upper quadrant. In case of necessity the flap may be used for a simultaneous reconstruction of the semilunar fold. The description of the method is completed by illustrations.