Abstract

Emeka Linux Ike*, Ubaiangbo Chuks and Micheal I. Oganje

Pterygium, a conjunctival fibrovascular growth, is a common finding in the tropics. The definitive treatment is excision. The conventional bare sclera technique has a high rate of recurrence. Because of this, different adjuvants have been introduced and are in use to reduce the rate. The purpose of this study is to compare the recurrence rate of primary pterygium after excision with conjunctival autograft and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU). The overall recurrence rate in the 62 cases was 17.7%. In the group that had 5-FU application, 10 (27.8%) had recurrence while only one of the 26 (3.8%) that had autograft recurred. This difference was statistically significant (Fisher’s exact = 0.018). Primary pterygium excision with conjunctival autograft was superior to 5-FU application.