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CC BY-NC 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2018; 45(03): 222-228
DOI: 10.5999/aps.2017.01599
Original Article

Upper eyelid platinum weight placement for the treatment of paralytic lagophthalmos: A new plane between the inner septum and the levator aponeurosis

Tae Suk Oh
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
Kyunghyun Min
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
Sin Young Song
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
Jong Woo Choi
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
,
Kyung Suk Koh
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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Background The most common surgical treatment for paralytic lagophthalmos is the placement of a weight implant in the upper eyelid; however, this technique confers the risks of implant visibility, implant extrusion, and entropion. In this study, we present a new technique of placing platinum weight implants between the levator aponeurosis and inner septum to decrease such complications.

Methods A total of 37 patients with paralytic lagophthalmos were treated between March 2014 and January 2017 with platinum weight placement (mean follow-up, 520.1 days). After dissecting through the orbicularis oculi muscle, the tarsal plate and levator aponeurosis were exposed. The platinum weights (1.0–1.4 g) were fixed to the upper margin of the tarsal plate and placed underneath the orbital septum.

Results Five patients could partially close their eye after surgery. The average distance between the upper eyelid and the lower eyelid when the eyes were closed was 1.12 mm. The rest of the patients were able to close their eye completely. Three patients patient developed allergic conjunctivitis after platinum weight insertion, which was managed with medication. None of the patients complained of discomfort in the upper eyelid after surgery. Visibility or extrusion of the implant were observed in three patients.

Conclusions Postseptal weight placement is a safe and reproducible method in both primary and secondary upper eyelid surgery for patients with paralytic lagophthalmos. It is a feasible method for preventing implant visibility, implant exposure, and entropion. Moreover, platinum is a better implant material than gold because of its smaller size and greater thinness.

Keywords

Platinum - Prostheses and implants - Eyelid diseases - Facial paralysis

The article was presented at the PRS Korea 2015 on November 13-15, 2015 in Seoul, Korea.




Publication History

Received: 25 October 2017

Accepted: 12 February 2018

Article published online:
03 April 2022

© 2018. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, permitting unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

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