title: Surgical management of the severely contracted socket following reconstruction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To present a surgical technique for the early maintenance of the severely contracted socket following reconstruction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two patients with severely contracted sockets following multiple procedures and recurrent failure were identified over a 1 year period. Following fornix and eyelid reconstruction, silicone fixative was injected into the fornix through a standard conformer. The silicone fixed around a pre-placed K-wire passed from the lateral orbital rim to the posterior lacrimal crest. Both silicone and wire were removed at 3 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both patients were able to wear and maintain an acceptable prosthesis following the surgical procedure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is a safe and effective method for the early maintenance of a severely contracted socket. This technique minimizes cheesewiring or extrusion and avoids damage to superior and inferior muscles and structures.
authors.affiliation: Corneo Plastic Unit, Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, UK.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mavrikakis
authors.forename: Raman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malhotra
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Shelley
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Sneddon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003250:Constriction; D005137:Eye, Artificial; D005143:Eyelids / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D009915:Orbit / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D012086:Reoperation