Abstract
Purpose: :
To determine the frequency of symblepharon, causes, time of evolution, surgical treatment and complications in a mexican-mestizo population.
Methods: :
Retrospective, transversal, descriptive, observational. We revised 250 files of patients previously diagnosed with symblepharon, from January 2007 to January 2008 in Asociación para Evitar la Ceguera en México and with a minimal follow up of one year.
Results: :
Patients consisted of 40 females (62.5%) and 24 males (37.5%), with a mean age of 41 years. The most common cause was a burn injury (especially chemical burn) in 30 patients (46.87%), followed up by previous surgery in 29 patients (45.31%). 2 or more quadrants were affected by symblepharon in 59 patients (92.18%) and 58 patients (90.62%) had corneal involment. More than one year of evolution of the symblepharon was shown in 34 patients (54.68%). The initial treatment in 45 patients (70.31%) was observation and in 51 patients (74.68%) a surgery was performed into the first three months after the diagnosis. Conjunctival autograft was performed in 22 patients (34.37%) being the most frequent treatment and a conformator used in all of the procedures. The most common complication was recurrence of symblepharon, in 17.18% of the cases.
Conclusions: :
Burn injuries and history of previous surgery were the most common causes for the development of symblepharon. Conjunctival autograft was the most employed surgical treatment.
Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: outcomes/complications • conjunctiva • trauma