Sutureless Versus Suture Technique for Conjunctivolimbal Autografting in Primary Pterygium Excision: A Prospective Study

PURPOSE: Conjunctivolimbal autograft is proposed to be the best treatment for pterygium and autograft can be fixed either with sutures or without. This study was undertaken to assess and compare the efficacy of sutureless versus suture techniques for conjunctivolimbal autografting in primary pterygium. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted in the department of ophthalmology in a tertiary care center from March 2018 to September 2019. Twenty consecutive patients in the age group of 20 to 70 years with primary pterygium were included. Ten patients underwent suture technique for autograft placement, whereas ten patients underwent sutureless technique. Comparison of both the groups was done in terms of duration of surgery and postoperative symptoms. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel software and analyzed using SPSS software. RESULTS: In the first group, the mean duration of surgery was 48 min and it was 38 min in the second group. The difference was statistically significant (P = 0.000). Postoperatively, foreign-body sensation was present in nine patients in the first group, whereas it was absent among the patients in the second group. The difference was statistically significant (P = 0.000). Four patients in the first group and two patients in the second group had postoperative hyperemia and only one patient in the first group had conjunctival chemosis. A graft-related complication was present in one patient in the second group. CONCLUSION: Sutureless technique is a better technique as compared to conventional suture technique.