Our clinical experiences in lower eyelid reconstruction

Objective: Different treatment principles have been applied in the reconstruction of partial or full layer defects of the lower eyelid. The use of the most similar tissue for eyelid reconstruction is important for both functional and esthetic results. This study aims to investigate the reconstruction methods performed in lower eyelid defects and to evaluate their esthetic and functional results. Patients and Methods: In this study, patients who underwent reconstructive surgery from 2012 to 2016 in our clinic were investigated. Cases of primary repairs after skin tumors located in the lower eyelids were excluded from the study. The sociodemographic characteristics of patients, the type and location of the tumor, defect size after surgery, anterior and posterior lamellar defects, and reconstruction methods used were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Thirty-seven patients were included in the study. Fifteen were male and 22 were female. There was only anterior lamellar defect in 29 patients and full-thickness lower eyelid defect in 8 patients. Anterior flaps used in lamellar defects were identified as glabellar flap, Limberg flap, advancement, transposition flap, nasolabial flap, forehead flap, and cheek flap. Chondromucosal graft, palatal mucosal graft, and buccal mucosal graft were used for repairing posterior lamellar defects. Conclusion: Separate reconstruction of the posterior and anterior lamellae is important to provide good functional and esthetic results in lower eyelid reconstruction. Depending on the size of the defect, using a single local flap or a combined flap with posterior lamella repair provides highly acceptable results