Conjunctival autografting in the surgical management of pterygium

In a retrospective survey of 117 operations for primary or recurrent pterygium, conjunctival autografting was compared with both excision without conjunctival closure ('bare sclera excision') and excision with complete conjunctival closure. The probability of corneal recurrence at 36 months after surgery was determined by survival curve analysis. In previously unoperated cases conjunctival autografting (n = 15) resulted in a 14% probability of recurrence, compared with 70% for bare sclera excision (n = 50) and 69% for excision with complete conjunctival closure (n = 20). In previously operated cases conjunctival autografting (n = 17) resulted in a 7% probability of recurrence, compared with 82% for bare sclera excision (n = 15). Hazard ratio analysis confirmed the statistical significance of these results at the 95% confidence level. Conjunctival autografting was more likely to produce an improvement in visual acuity than other forms of surgery.