J Cosmet Med.  2020 Dec;4(2):64-68. 10.25056/JCM.2020.4.2.64.

Surgical treatment of epiphora with eyelid retraction after a lower eyelid surgery

• Lee JH
• Kim NY
• Ahn HB

• KMID: 2561096
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.25056/JCM.2020.4.2.64

Abstract

Background
Because of the rapidly increasing demand for cosmetic surgery in Korea, the number of patients presenting with epiphora after lower eyelid surgery and diagnosed with retraction is currently increasing.
Objective
To evaluate the effect of the lateral tarsal strip procedure (LTS) in patients with epiphora and eyelid retraction after lower eyelid surgery.
Methods
A total of 145 eyes of 81 patients who reported to our hospital between January 2010 and February 2020 were included in the study. Twenty-six eyes of 17 patients underwent LTS, and 119 eyes of 64 patients underwent LTS combined with silicone tube intubation or endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR). The pre- and postoperative symptoms, margin reflex distance 2 (MRD2), tear meniscus height (TMH), and complications were retrospectively compared.
Results
Seventy-two of the 81 patients (88.9%) showed improvements in epiphora. The improvements in TMH in the combined surgery and single surgery groups were 0.45±0.28 and 0.44±0.18 mm, respectively, showing postoperative improvements in both groups. MRD2 also improved to 0.62±0.66 and 0.27±0.68 mm in the combined surgery and single surgery groups, respectively. No significant difference was observed between the two groups.
Conclusion
LTS is an effective surgical method for epiphora in patients experiencing eyelid retraction after lower eyelid surgery. Its combination with silicone tube intubation or endonasal DCR is considered effective for lacrimal pathway disorders.

Keyword

endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy; epiphora; eyelid retraction; lateral tarsal strip; silicone tube intubation