Abstract
Purpose :
Tarsorrhaphy is commonly performed to promote healing of the cornea or to protect the cornea from exposure keratopathy. The purpose of our study is to describe the indications, types, and outcomes of tarsorrhaphy in a cohort of patients who underwent this procedure at a tertiary eye care center in the past two decades.
Methods :
In this pilot retrospective cohort study, medical records of patients who underwent tarsorrhaphies between January 1, 2000 and October 1, 2018 were reviewed. Information collected included patient age, sex, indication for tarsorrhaphy, type of tarsorrhaphy (temporary/permanent), number of tarsorrhaphies, interval between tarsorrhaphies, best corrected visual acuity, and duration of follow-up.
Results :
A total of 127 tarsorrhaphies performed on 101 eyes in 93 patients (51% male, mean age 57) were included for analysis. Most initial tarsorrhaphies were temporary (81%) compared to permanent (19%). Of the initial 81 temporary tarsorraphies, 21 (25%) converted to permanent. The most common indications for tarsorrhaphy were Cranial Nerve 7 Palsy (27%), Neurotrophic Keratopathy (22%), Reconstruction following Mohs Surgery (13%), Enucleation or Evisceration (10%). The most common indication for eyes that required permanent tarsorrhaphy (n=40 eyes) at some point were Cranial Nerve 7 Palsy (40%) and Neurotrophic Keratopathy (30%).
Conclusions :
Tarsorrhaphy is indicated for not only inherent ocular surface diseases but also lid malposition problems caused by various etiologies including reconstructive surgery. Most tarsorrhaphies were temporary, but patients who eventually required permanent were usually those with Cranial Nerve 7 Palsy or Neurotrophic Keratopathy.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.