Full-Thickness Skin Graft as an Independent or Adjunctive Technique for Repair of Cicatricial Lower Eyelid Ectropion Secondary to Actinic Skin Changes.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively review and describe full-thickness skin graft repair of lower eyelid cicatricial ectropion secondary to actinic skin.

METHODS

A retrospective, noncomparative chart review of all patients who underwent lower eyelid ectropion repair with placement of a full-thickness skin graft between June 2004 and March 2014 was conducted with IRB approval. The etiology of lower eyelid ectropion, demographics including age, gender, ethnicity, laterality, graft donor site, additional surgical procedures, graft viability, surgical success rate, complications, and clinical exam findings were summarized.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine eyelids in 24 patients underwent skin grafting for repair of cicatricial ectropion secondary to actinic skin changes. Ninety six percent of patients were male and 96% were Caucasian. Donor sites for skin grafts included upper eyelid (9, 31%), supraclavicular skin (9, 31%), postauricular skin (7, 24%), inner brachial skin (2, 7%), axilla (1, 3.5%), and preauricular skin (1, 3.5%). Twenty-four of 29 eyelids in the series underwent 1 or more additional procedures at the time of full-thickness skin grafting, including lateral tarsal strip (9 eyelids, 37.5%), punctoplasty (8, 33%), canthoplasty (7, 29%), excision of keratinized conjunctiva (2, 8%), transverse tarsotomy (1, 4%), ipsilateral external dacryocystorhinostomy (3, 12.5%), and lesion removal (1, 4%). There was 100% viability of the skin grafts. Overall surgical success rate was 76%, with asymptomatic recurrence rate of 17% and symptomatic recurrence rate of 7%.

CONCLUSION

Repair of cicatricial lower eyelid ectropion secondary to actinic skin changes may be accomplished with full-thickness skin grafting, and is often performed in conjunction with additional procedures to fully address anatomic abnormalities.