Change in Lower Eyelid Contour Following Ectropion Repair With Lateral Tarsal Strip

Change in Lower Eyelid Contour Following Ectropion Repair With Lateral Tarsal Strip:



Purpose:

To evaluate the change in lateral canthal angle (LCA), inferior ocular surface exposed (IOSE), lower eyelid curvature, and margin-to-reflex distance 2 in those undergoing lower eyelid ectropion repair using a lateral tarsal strip technique.

Methods:

This is an Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective analysis of patients undergoing lower eyelid ectropion repair. This study included all patients from 2012 to 2018 operated on by a single surgeon at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. For each patient, LCA, IOSE, and eyelid curvature were measured on preoperative and postoperative photographs using NIH Image J photographic analysis. These measurements were compared using paired 1-tail t-tests for LCA and IOSE and paired 2-tail t-tests for eyelid curvature. This study was Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant with protection of individually identifiable information.

Results:

Fifty-one patients with lower eyelid ectropion underwent lower eyelid ectropion repair using a lateral tarsal strip technique. Forty-three of the patients underwent a bilateral lower eyelid ectropion repair. There was no statistically significant difference in the LCA. There was a reduction in IOSE among both cohorts. The fourth degree polynomial trendlines generated to assess eyelid curvature demonstrated statistical significance, suggesting a flattening of eyelid curvature. margin-to-reflex distance 2 also had a statistically significant decrease postoperatively.

Conclusions:

Lower eyelid ectropion repair using a lateral tarsal strip approach causes a reduction in IOSE, a more gradual lower eyelid curvature, and a decrease in margin-to-reflex distance 2 without causing a statistically significant change in LCA.

Accepted for publication February 8, 2020.

The authors have no financial or conflicts of interest to disclose.

Presented at the Fall ASOPRS Meeting 2019, Poster.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Ronald Mancini, M.D., F.A.C.S., Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9057. E-mail: Ronald.Mancini@utsouthwestern.edu

© 2020 by The American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Inc., All rights reserved.