Low recurrence rate of anchored conjunctival rotation flap technique in pterygium surgery

BACKGROUND: To report the recurrence rate for an anchored conjunctival rotation flap technique in primary pterygium surgery. METHODS: Primary pterygium surgeries performed using anchored conjunctival rotation flap techniques (110 eyes in 110 patients) with a minimum follow-up of 12 months were reviewed. In this technique, a conjunctival flap is rotated to cover the bare sclera and suture-fixated with either 8–0 polyglactin (41 eyes) or 10–0 nylon (69 eyes). The recurrence rate was determined, and the two suture materials utilized were compared. RESULTS: The recurrence rate was 2.71% (3 cases in 110 eyes) when an anchored conjunctival rotation flap technique was used and patients were monitored for 26.40 ± 17.09 months. Interestingly, the recurrences were only observed in polyglactin-sutured eyes. No recurrence was detected in nylon-sutured eyes. No other complications were observed in either group. CONCLUSIONS: The anchored conjunctival rotation flap technique for pterygium surgery has a relatively low recurrence rate. Nylon suture-fixation of the flap was found to be superior to polyglactin suture-fixation in preventing recurrence. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12886-017-0587-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.