• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.430-437
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• 2003

Patient with facial paralysis may develop opthalmic complications. Poor eyelid closure, ectopion and lagophthalmos place the patinet at increased risk for development of corneal problems such as epitheilail defects, stromal thinning, bacterial infection, and even perforation. Inilital treatment should be conservative and include the use of ocular lubricants and taping of the lower eyelid into the proper position. Surgical intervention may be required in patients who have failed medical therapy or in whom the facial paralysis is not expected to improve. Gold weight implantation in upper eyelid and lower lid tightening in lower eyelid has become a popular procedure to correct upper eyelid retraction and lower eyelid laxity and to improve corneal coverage. We describe technique for placement of a gold weight in the upper lid, with attention of the maintenance of symmetric eyelid crease and susture canthopexy to correct malpositioned lower eyelid.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.163-168
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• 2024

Background The study determined to compare the clinical outcomes of traditional gold weight implantation for the correction of paralytic lagophthalmos with those of a newly designed model. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we enrolled 30 patients (76% females; average age 60.8 ± 12 years) with facial palsy who underwent implantation of either the traditional pretarsal gold weight (PT group; n = 15) or a new supratarsal model (ST group; n = 15) from May 2014 to April 2019. The main outcome measures were the 12-month postoperative weight prominence, weight migration, improvement of lagophthalmos, upper eyelid contour, and upper eyelid ptosis. The secondary outcome was long-term (24 months) reoperative rate. Results The new model group had significantly better eyelid contour (risk ratio [RR] 3.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.62-6.15, p = 0.001), less weight prominence (RR 1.74, 95% CI 1.13-2.70, p = 0.013), less weight migration (RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.12-1.54, p = 0.001), and less eyelid ptosis (RR 2.36, 95% CI 1.21-4.59, p = 0.011) than the traditional model group. Improvement of lagophthalmos was not statistically significant between the two groups (RR 1.44, 95% CI 0.72-2.91, p = 0.303). The 24-month reoperative rate was 53.3% in the PT group versus 13.3% in the ST group (RR 2.00, 95% CI 1.15-3.49, p = 0.015). Conclusion The newly designed supratarsal gold weight showed superior postoperative outcomes than the standard traditional model.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.288-297
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• 2005

Rehabilitation of the paralyzed face as a result of trauma or surgery remains a daunting task. Complete restoration of emotionally driven symmetric facial motion is still unobtainable, but current techniques have enhanced our ability to improve this emotionally traumatic deficit. Problems of mass movement and synkinesis still plague even the best reconstructions. The reconstructive techniques used still represent a compromise between obtainable symmetry and motion at the expense of donor site deficits, but current techniques continue to refine and limit this morbidity. In chronically paralyzed face, direct nerve anastomosis, nerve graft, or microvascular-muscle graft is not always possible. In this case, regional muscle transposition is tried to reanimate the eyelid and lower face. Regional muscle includes maseeter muscle, temporalis muscle and anterior belly of the digastric muscle. Temporalis muscle is preferred because it is long, flat, pliable and wide-motion of excursion. In order to reanimate the upper and lower eyelid, Upper eyelid Gold weight implantion and lower eyelid shortening and tightening is mainly used recently, because this method is very simple, easy and reliable.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.222-228
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• 2018

Background The most common surgical treatment for paralytic lagophthalmos is the placement of a weight implant in the upper eyelid; however, this technique confers the risks of implant visibility, implant extrusion, and entropion. In this study, we present a new technique of placing platinum weight implants between the levator aponeurosis and inner septum to decrease such complications. Methods A total of 37 patients with paralytic lagophthalmos were treated between March 2014 and January 2017 with platinum weight placement (mean follow-up, 520.1 days). After dissecting through the orbicularis oculi muscle, the tarsal plate and levator aponeurosis were exposed. The platinum weights (1.0-1.4 g) were fixed to the upper margin of the tarsal plate and placed underneath the orbital septum. Results Five patients could partially close their eye after surgery. The average distance between the upper eyelid and the lower eyelid when the eyes were closed was 1.12 mm. The rest of the patients were able to close their eye completely. Three patients patient developed allergic conjunctivitis after platinum weight insertion, which was managed with medication. None of the patients complained of discomfort in the upper eyelid after surgery. Visibility or extrusion of the implant were observed in three patients. Conclusions Postseptal weight placement is a safe and reproducible method in both primary and secondary upper eyelid surgery for patients with paralytic lagophthalmos. It is a feasible method for preventing implant visibility, implant exposure, and entropion. Moreover, platinum is a better implant material than gold because of its smaller size and greater thinness.