Reconstruction of Lower Eyelid Defect using Neighboring Remnant Skin.

Hong, Chang Yil; Kim, Sun Goo; Kim, Yu Jin; Lee, Se Il

Case Report

Journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons 2010;37(4):492-495.
Published online July 1, 2010.

Reconstruction of Lower Eyelid Defect using Neighboring Remnant Skin.

Chang Yil Hong, Sun Goo Kim, Yu Jin Kim, Se Il Lee

Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Gil hospital, Incheon, Korea. missz@hanmail.net

Abstract

PURPOSE
Facial tumor excision is a common cause of lower eyelid defect in old patients. Many methods have been introduced for the reconstruction of lower eyelid. However, conventional surgical method can cause various complications like scar, ectropion and unnatural color matching. Thus, we introduce a simple and aesthetically acceptable method for the reconstruction of lower eyelid defect. METHODS: Three elderly patients with skin cancer in the unilateral lower eyelid were operated by the new method. Following a wide excision of skin cancer, subcilliary incision of lower blepharoplasty was carried out. Elevated skin flap of lower eyelid was redrapped for the correction of defect and the remnant skin from lateral portion of lower eyelid was used for full thickness skin graft(FTSG) to correct the remaining defect.
RESULTS
All grafts survived and color match of the graft was excellent without ectropion. Furthermore, wrinkles of the lower eyelid were improved after the blepharoplasty.
CONCLUSION
Lower eyelid defect resulting from wide excision of malignant tumor in old patients could be reconstructed successfully by modifying the conventional lower eyelid blepharoplasty along with FTSG using the remnant skin.

Keywords: Lower eyelid reconstruction; Eyelid neoplasm