Posters

Simple limbal epithelial transplantation (SLET): an innovative surgical technique for the management of double headed and recurrent pterygium

Poster Details

First Author: T.Chowdhury INDIA

Co Author(s):                        

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To evaluate the role of Simple Limbal Epithelial Transplantation (SLET) in cases of double-headed and recurrent pterygium where it is difficult or not desirable to get the conjunctival autograft from the same eye after the excision of pterygium.

Setting:

Disha Eye Hospitals Private Limited, Barrackpore, Kolkata, India.

Methods:

It was a retrospective, nonrandomised, non-comparative case study of total 9 eyes, where 7 eyes with double-headed pterygium and 2 eyes with recurrent pterygium underwent ipsilateral SLET. SLET is a surgical technique, where a small strip of donor limbal tissue is taken from superior limbus and then divided into several small tiny pieces. After proper excision of pterygium, amniotic membrane transplantation was done over the bare area, then those tiny limbal transplants were distributed along the limbal area over the amniotic membrane and the fixation was achieved by using fibrin glue. A bandage contact lens was placed over the eye.

Results:

Out to total 9 cases, 6 were males and 3 were females. The mean age of the patient was 47.5 (range: 21 to 65) years. Except 2 patients with recurrent pterygium, no patient had any prior ocular surgery. After surgery, a completely epithelialised, almost avascular and stable ocular surface was seen in all cases in 4 to 6 weeks time. Follow up ranged from 3 to 11 months. Post operatively, all patients had good cosmetic results except one patient with recurrent pterygium had focal recurrence at 5th month. Post operatively, all patients had increase in visual acuity. No patient had any serious complication or conjunctival overgrowth at the donor site.

Conclusions:

SLET in cases of double-headed and recurrent pterygium is a safe and relatively straight forward technique. It is especially helpful in cases where there is little scope to harvest a large conjunctival autograft in ptergium surgery or difficult to get a conjunctival autograft as in recurrent ptergium.

Financial Disclosure:

NONE