Eyelid reconstruction in ophthalmic surgical practice

Introduction:  Eyelid reconstruction is not implemented very often in ophthalmic surgical practice.  Numerous surgical procedures exist, and the surgeon’s experience is one of the leading factors for the choice of a technique. Aim : The aim of this article is to study the causes and frequency of eyelid surgeries at the Specialized Eye Hospital for а five-year period and to evaluate the chosen surgical approach in relation to patients’ disease. Materials and Methods:  A retrospective study was conducted on all patients who underwent eyelid surgery in the hospital for the study period (2011-2015). Detailed information was collected on demographic data, clinical details for the diagnosis, histological results, and type of surgery. Results:  A total of 692 reconstructive eyelid surgeries were performed, which represents 5.63% of all surgeries in the hospital for the study period. The most common cause of planed eyelid surgery was tumor excision (50.8%) and the used reconstructive procedures were: direct closure in 78.3% of cases, skin flap transposition – 15.5%, Hughes procedure – 3.1%, full-thickness skin graft – 2.7%, and Cutler-Beard procedure – 0.4%. Entropion was diagnosed in 18.5%, ectropion – 13.0%, dermatochalasis – 9.1%, and ptosis – 8.5% of the planned surgeries. The most frequently used technique for entropion repair was the Quickert procedure – 44.7% and for ectropion repair this was the Bick procedure – 59.1%. Ptosis was acquired in 62.8% of cases, and the most frequently used technique was aponeurosis surgery – 57.2%. Conclusion:  Eyelid reconstruction is an important branch of oculoplastic surgery. We found that tumor excision was the most common reason for planned eyelid surgeries.  In recent years, the number of blepharoplasties has increased markedly.