Temporary suture tarsorrhaphy at the time of orbital ball implantation.

PURPOSE

Conjunctival chemosis is a common, usually benign, complication of ocular and oculoplastic surgery. After enucleation, evisceration, or secondary ball implant, however, conjunctival edema can cause conformer extrusion, forniceal eversion, and shortening which may complicate the future fitting of a prosthesis. This longitudinal chart review aimed to estimate the efficacy of a temporary suture tarsorrhaphy to minimize postoperative edema and improve conformer retention.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 415 consecutive patients undergoing enucleation, evisceration, and secondary ball implantation between 1990 and 2016. Three-hundred twenty-eight patients had complete data which was analyzed for age, gender, surgical details, complications, and follow-up.

RESULTS

We identified 328 eyes that underwent enucleation (48%), evisceration (3%), or secondary implantation (49%) during the study period. Eighty-nine patients had a suture tarsorrhaphy at the time of surgery, and 239 did not. There was a statistically significant incidence of postoperative conjunctival edema in the no tarsorrhaphy group. There was also a significantly increased rate of conformer loss associated with conjunctival edema. Need for further surgery was not uncommon with 64% and 43% of patients requiring a secondary procedure in the no tarsorrhaphy and tarsorrhaphy groups respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Temporary suture tarsorrhaphy is a simple and effective procedure that reduces conjunctival edema and increases conformer stability when performed at the time of enucleation, evisceration, or secondary ball implantation.