title: Comparison of conjunctival graft thickness after primary and recurrent pterygium surgery: anterior segment optical coherence tomography study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the following study is to compare the conjunctival graft thickness measured with anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) after primary and recurrent pterygium excision.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, interventional and comparative study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 20 eyes of 20 patients with primary pterygium (primary group) and 20 eyes of 20 patients with recurrent pterygium (recurrent group) were enrolled.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients underwent pterygium excision with conjunctival autograft transplantation. Conjunctival graft thickness was measured at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after surgery using the Visante-OCT (Carl-Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA, USA). Main outcome measure was the mean conjunctival thickness determined as the mean of three measurements at 1, 2 and 3 mm posterior to the scleral spur.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no statistically significant differences in age, sex, or laterality between the groups. Mean thickness of the graft in primary and recurrent groups, respectively, was 430 ± 127 μm and 461 ± 178 μm at 1 week after surgery (P = 0.587), 114 ± 19 μm and 162 ± 48 μm at 1 month after surgery (P = 0.001) and 109 ± 15 μm and 107 ± 18 μm at 3 months after surgery (P = 0.726).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings revealed that conjunctival thickness after primary or recurrent pterygium excision was greatest at 1 week after surgery and continued to decrease for up to 3 months. Mean graft thickness differed significantly between the two groups only at 1 month after surgery.
authors.forename: Engin Bilge
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Ozgurhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Beyoglu Eye Research and Training Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Necip
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kara
authors.forename: Ercument
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bozkurt
authors.forename: Baran
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gencer
authors.forename: Kemal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yuksel
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Demirok
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000869:Anterior Eye Segment / Q000473:pathology*; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011625:Pterygium / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult