Surgical correction for lower lid epiblepharon in Asians.
OBJECTIVE
Epiblepharon is a congenital lid anomaly in which a fold of skin and underlying orbicularis muscle push the lashes against the eyeball. It is important to get a good lash eversion effect without forming a prominent lid crease in Asian patients. The surgical effect of this rotating suture technique was evaluated.


METHODS
Surgical correction for epiblepharon was performed on 197 patients and the results analysed in 169 patients who had been followed for 1 month or more. After subciliary incision, several buried 8-0 nylon sutures were placed to allow adhesion between the tarsal plate and the subcutaneous tissue of the upper skin flap with minimal resection of pretarsal orbicularis and redundant skin.


RESULTS
156 patients (92.3%) showed satisfactory results during 7.1 months of average follow up. Reoperation was performed only on two patients out of 13 because of mildness of symptoms and signs. Complications were minimal including suture abscesses in four patients and wound dehiscence in one.


CONCLUSIONS
The rotating suture technique was very effective in repairing epiblepharon without forming a prominent lower eyelid crease.
Woo
K I
KI
Department of Ophthalmology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Yi
K
K
Kim
Y D
YD
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005140:Eyelashes; D005143:Eyelids / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006201:Hair Diseases / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013536:Suture Techniques