eMedicine Specialties > Otolaryngology and Facial Plastic Surgery > Reconstructive Surgery

Lower Eyelid Reconstruction, Ectropion: Treatment

Author: Mounir Bashour, MD, CM, FRCS(C), PhD, FACS, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, McGill University; Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Sherbrooke University; Medical Director, Cornea Laser and Lasik MD
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Jul 14, 2009

Treatment

Medical Therapy

Provide medical therapy if surgical therapy is not warranted or not possible.

• Symptomatic therapy can be achieved using artificial tear ointment or drops; moisture shields are also helpful. In addition, the lower lid can be taped back into position using either specially designed or normal skin tape. If the lacrimal system is blocked, performing a dacryocystorhinostomy alone or in combination with an ectropion procedure may produce better results than treating the ectropion alone.
• If the conjunctiva is markedly keratinized, use a lubricating ointment or mild steroid ointment several days or weeks prior to ectropion repair. Corneal epithelial defects and prior herpes simplex infection are relative contraindications to use of steroid-containing ointments.
• Instruct patients with tearing and incipient ectropion or early punctal ectropion to wipe the eyelids in a direction up and in (toward the nose) to avoid worsening medial ectropion.
• With cicatricial ectropion following trauma or lid surgery, digital massage may help stretch the scar. If not, consider steroid injection into the scar.
• External paste-on upper lid weights are available and are useful for patients who have seventh nerve palsy. Lid weights can be approximately matched for different skin colors. A double-sided tape is used to apply the lid weight. Removing the lid weight at night may avoid irritation of the lid skin. External lid weights are not a good option in patients with upper lid dermatochalasis or poor manual dexterity.

Surgical Therapy

The correct surgical treatment of ectropion depends on the etiology. Horizontal lid laxity is often observed with ectropion and can usually be corrected with a lateral tarsal strip procedure. Mild-to-moderate cases of medial ectropion may respond to a medial conjunctival spindle procedure. However, tarsal ectropion requires reinsertion of the lower lid retractors, and an augmentation of the anterior lamellae (along with excision of any cicatrix) is required for cicatricial ectropion.

The author recommends the use of a corneal protector during oculoplastic procedures. The surgeon must be wary of the remote possibility of flash burns whenever oxygen is on the surgical field. Failure to use a corneal protector may transform an elective lid repair into a much more complicated problem.

Ensuring patient comfort during surgery is important. Since most cases of ectropion involve the lower lid, supplemental infraorbital nerve block is a useful adjunct to direct injection and subconjunctival injection.

Tarsorrhaphy

This procedure can be performed as a temporary fix for corneal exposure; however, the author believes better surgical alternatives are usually available.

Electrocautery

Electrocautery at the junction of conjunctiva and lower margin of the tarsus is not commonly advocated, as this procedure is usually only a temporary measure.

Suture repair

Double-armed chromic sutures are passed through the inferior border of the tarsus, emerging at the skin surface near the orbital rim. The author does not advocate this temporary method of repair.

Congenital ectropion

Ensure corneal lubrication. If the condition does not resolve after a few days, consider placing lid margin sutures. A lateral tarsorrhaphy may be required if suture techniques do not work; however, be careful to avoid iatrogenic amblyopia. More severe cases of congenital ectropion may require a skin flap or graft.

Ichthyosis is a well-described cause of congenital ectropion, and although it is sometimes managed conservatively with lubrication, skin grafts may be required.³

Lateral tarsal strip

Horizontal lid laxity is a component of most ectropion cases, especially involutional ectropion. Numerous methods for correcting horizontal lid laxity exist. Older methods include wedge resections and the Kuhnt-Szymanowski procedure. Whenever feasible, however, the author prefers a lateral canthal-tightening procedure. Surgery at the lateral canthus avoids the possibility of lid notching with noncanthal procedures and decreases the risk of trichiasis.

The most common variation of lateral canthal-tightening is the lateral tarsal strip procedure, as follows:

• The lateral canthus can be clamped prior to canthotomy. Then perform inferior cantholysis with Westcott scissors. The lower lid should then be freely mobile.
• If excess lid skin is present, drape the skin over the lateral canthus and excise an appropriate triangle of full-thickness lid.
• Split about 3 mm of the lateral lid at the gray line with either sharp Westcott scissors or a 15 blade.
• Trim away the meibomian orifices of the lateral strip.
• Scrape the lateral conjunctiva to avoid epithelial inclusion cysts.
• To secure the lateral strip of tarsus to the periosteum, 2 sutures (or a single horizontal mattress suture) can be placed about 4-5 mm posterior to the lateral orbital rim near the Whitnall tubercle (ie, at or above the level of the inferior pupil). Suitable sutures with small semicircular needles include 5-0 Vicryl on a P2 needle or 4-0 Prolene on a PS-5 needle.
• Retracting the upper lid superotemporally and placing a cotton swab at the lateral canthus to palpate the inner lateral orbital rim may be helpful.
• Before tying the suture, remove the corneal shield.
• The orbicularis layer can be closed with 6-0 Vicryl. The skin can be closed with 6-0 plain gut suture. A stitch through the lateral-most gray line of the upper and lower lateral lid helps to keep the lateral canthus sharp.
• If the patient requires topical drops (eg, glaucoma therapy) postoperatively, instruct the patient not to retract the lower lid during drop instillation for the first month.

It is not uncommon for patients to experience prolonged discomfort at the lateral canthus following the lateral tarsal strip procedure.

Kuhnt-Szymanowski (Smith modification)

When marked inferior dermatochalasis accompanies ectropion and the lateral canthal tendon is not dehisced, an inferior subciliary blepharoplasty skin incision can be combined with a pentagonal wedge excision of the orbicularis and posterior lamellae.

Precise closure is required to prevent a lid notch.

Tarsal ectropion

This complete eversion of the lower lid occurs when disinsertion of the capsulopalpebral fascia from the inferior tarsal border is present.

In addition to horizontal lid tightening, reinsert the retractors (ideally from a conjunctival approach). A spindle of redundant conjunctiva, no more than 3 mm in vertical height, can be excised if necessary.

A double-armed 5-0 chromic suture can be used to reattach the capsulopalpebral fascia to the inferior tarsus in a running fashion.

Medial ectropion

If tearing is the primary problem in patients with punctal ectropion, a one-snip or two-snip inferior punctoplasty may be beneficial. Easily performed with Vannas scissors and topical anesthetic, punctoplasty restores continuity between the lacus lacrimali and the medial canthal angle.

For mild-to-moderate medial ectropion, a medial conjunctival spindle procedure (excision of the medial conjunctiva and retractors) can be performed.

• Following anesthetic injection into the medial inferior fornix, the inferior canaliculus can be guarded with a lacrimal probe.
• Excise a horizontal ellipse or diamond of conjunctiva and underlying lid retractors inferior to the punctum, approximately 3-4 mm high and 6-8 mm wide.
• Close the defect with double-armed 5-0 chromic inverting sutures. This can be accomplished by engaging the inferior lip of the wound, then the superior lip of the wound; then, redirect the needle from the inferior lid to the cutaneous surface.
• Alternatively, buried interrupted 6-0 polyglactin stitches can be used to close the medial conjunctival spindle.

Byron Smith lazy-T procedure

This well-described procedure for repairing prominent medial ectropion combines a lower lid full-thickness pentagonal wedge resection, 3-4 mm temporal to the punctum, with resection of a medial triangle of conjunctiva and lower lid retractors (similar to medial conjunctival spindle).

• Usually, 5-8 mm of lower lid is excised in the pentagonal wedge. When closed, the incisions resemble a "T" lying on its side, hence the name "lazy T."
• If marked medial canthal laxity is present, medial canthal tendon plication is generally performed with a lid-shortening procedure.
• Place a lacrimal probe to guard the lower canaliculus. Make a skin incision, extending from just medial to the medial canthus to just temporal to the punctum, inferior to the canaliculus.
• Place a double-armed 5-0 nylon suture from the medial inferior tarsus to the medial canthal ligament near the anterior lacrimal crest.
• Remove the lacrimal probe and tighten the plication suture enough to prevent lateral excursion of the puncta. Overtightening the stitch may cause a kink in canalicular outflow. The skin incision can be closed with 6-0 fast-absorbing gut sutures.

Paralytic ectropion

A tarsal strip procedure is often helpful. At least 5 mm of the lateral lower lid may require excision. With lower lid ectropion, suborbicularis oculi fat (SOOF) lifts are also an option.

In patients with extreme paralytic ectropion, a fascia lata (or Gore-Tex) sling or temporalis transfer procedure may be required. An upper lid gold weight implantation is a helpful adjunct for patients with lagophthalmos. Usually, a 1.0- to 1.2-g weight is implanted superior to the tarsus and inferior to the orbicularis. Extrusion of the gold weight occasionally occurs with time as well. Since the gold weight uses gravity, patients should sleep with the head slightly elevated. The gold weights are not a contraindication to MRI investigation.

Cicatricial ectropion

An enhanced tarsal strip (ie, a tarsal strip without the traditional lateral skin excision) may help correct some degree of cicatricial ectropion. If an enhanced tarsal strip is insufficient, Z-plasties, V- to Y-plasty, skin grafts, or advancement flaps may be used to lengthen the anterior lamella.

Skin grafts may be obtained from the upper lid, if dermatochalasis is present; preauricular or postauricular skin is another alternative. Thin and buttonhole the skin graft (for drainage). Place a compressive bolster over the graft to enhance graft survival and to decrease hematoma formation. The bolster is left for 5 days. A superior traction suture decreases the risk of recurrent cicatrix postoperatively.

Xu et al recently described a surgical technique for lower eyelid cicatricial ectropion repair using a bipedicle orbicularis oculi muscle or myocutaneous flap from the upper eyelid.⁴  A strip of orbicularis oculi muscle or a myocutaneous flap from the upper eyelid with 2 pedicles attached in the medial and lateral canthus is advanced to the lower eyelid to suspend the eyelid and repair the skin defect.

Postoperative Details

For the lid sutures, the author prefers an antibiotic steroid combination, such as Maxitrol (neomycin, polymyxin, bacitracin), 3 times a day.

Applying cold compresses to the eyelids every 15 minutes (as tolerated) while the patient is awake decreases bruising and swelling. Frozen peas in a plastic bag are a useful alternative to traditional cloth compresses.

The author generally does not prescribe narcotics postoperatively. Ask the patient to use acetaminophen 325-650 mg by mouth every 4 hours as needed. Ask the patient to avoid aspirin-containing products if possible.

Follow-up

Patients are usually reviewed on the first postoperative day. Patients then return 5-7 days later for suture removal.

Complications

Complications are primarily related to corneal and conjunctival exposure. Complications can involve conjunctival keratinization, corneal breakdown, epiphora, and pain. Surgical complications may include bleeding, hematoma, infection, wound dehiscence, pain, and poor positioning of the tarsal strip.

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