Cadaveric Porcine Model for Teaching and Practicing Conjunctival Autograft Creation.

PURPOSE: Conjunctival autografting is a technically difficult step of pterygium surgery, and novice surgeons have limited opportunities to develop and practice their surgical skills. The porcine eye model closely approximates the human eye in tissue consistency when preparing conjunctival and limbal-conjunctival grafts. This study assessed the efficacy of a cadaveric porcine model in teaching and improving a novice's skills of conjunctival autograft creation. METHODS: A novice was taught to prepare 5 × 5 mm conjunctival grafts and created 58 grafts on fresh porcine eyes. The conjunctival graft thickness was measured using standard histological techniques. RESULTS: Between grafts 1-10 and grafts 49-58, there was a statistically significant difference in both thickness (P < 0.0001; mean thickness, 133 ± 27 and 87 ± 23 µm, respectively) and time of creation (P = 0.037; median time, 191 and 126 seconds, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The cadaveric porcine model may be a useful method for teaching this important technique to novice surgeons.