Improved subjective symptoms of conjunctivochalasis using bipolar diathermy method for conjunctival shrinkage.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the improvement in subjective symptoms of conjunctivochalasis after bipolar coagulation.


METHODS
Forty-three eyes of 26 patients (average age, 75.7 ± 8.4 years) were included in this study. The inferior conjunctivas were cauterized between April 2009 and June 2010. Surgery involved pinching the excess conjunctiva and performing bipolar cauterization after subconjunctival injection of a local anesthetic agent. Patients were asked to describe the postoperative foreign-body sensation and change in subjective symptoms 1 month postoperatively, with the preoperative symptom score defined as 10.


RESULTS
Twenty-two patients (84.6%) reported symptom relief immediately after the procedure, though all patients had a mild gritty sensation for 1-2 weeks postoperatively. The mean postoperative symptom score obtained from the questionnaire was 3.27 ± 3.31, which was significantly lower than the preoperative score (P < 0.0001). No patients had experienced recurrent symptoms at the end of the follow-up period.


CONCLUSIONS
Thermal cauterization can achieve conjunctival shrinkage and adherence to the subconjunctival tissues. Operation time is only a few minutes, postoperative pain is not severe, and the procedure can be performed in an outpatient clinic, all of which represent benefits to the patients.
Department of Ophthalmology, Gunma University School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan. kasimatomoyuki@yahoo.co.jp
Tomoyuki
T
Kashima
Hideo
H
Akiyama
Fumihide
F
Miura
Shoji
S
Kishi