title: Free conjunctival autograft in the management of advanced primary and recurrent pterygia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the outcome of free conjuctival autograft in patients with grades III and IV pterygia and to determine the post-operative recurrence rate.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Menelik II Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty four patients, 32 with primary and two with recurrent pterygia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A superficial Keratectomy extending beyond the corneal lesion all around and sufficiently deep to Bowman's layer to produce a perfectly clear cornea in the excised area followed by suture a free conjuctival autograft on the excised area.
  
  
  METHODS
  Improvement in visual acuity and recurrence rate of pterygia at follow up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 32 patients followed up, the visual acuity remained the same on eight and improved in 24 cases. There were no intraoperative complications. Pterygia recurred in two patients between three and four months postoperatively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that a free conjuctival autograft in the management of stage III and IV pterygia is a useful operation resulting in a very low recurrence rate of the pathology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Menelik II Hospital Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seid
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bejiga
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000637:transplantation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011625:Pterygium / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000601:surgery*; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D012720:Severity of Illness Index