%A Kuntheset S


%T Reanimation of the lagophthalmos using stainless steel weight implantation; a new approach and prospective evaluation

%0 Journal Article

%D 1999

%J International Journal of Leprosy and other Mycobacterial Diseases

%P 0148-916X

%V 67

%N 2

%X Weight implants have been used for over 30 years in surgical rehabilitation following lagophthalmos. However, there  has been a renewed interest among ophthalmologists in recent years. The weight  implant technique combined with lateral canthus resuspension was performed on 22 eyes in Thai patients. It is a reliable method for correcting  lagophthalmos and ectropion. In previous studies almost pure gold was used in 99.99% of eyelid implants. However, we wanted to use other materials which are  not expensive and are readily available. A stainless steel plate was selected.  The majority of our surgeries were done with a stainless steel weight implant  of 1.368 g. Patients were followed for 7 to 55 months, and no rejections of the implants  were observed. This study achieved a >90% success rate,  and showed that a stainless steel plate is an alternative to gold for the  weight implant technique.