Background: treatment of congenital ptoses and blepharophimoses relies on levator resections and frontalis suspensions. Several techniques of levator resection have been described in literature, some of them include tarsal resections and resections of the Müller muscle. Nevertheless a gold treatment have not been detected yet. Frontalis suspension is performed when levator muscle is not functional or when ptosis is severe. The suspension could be carried out with several materials: ePTFE, silicon rods, poly-propylene, nylon, braided poliester, but the preferable material is considered the autologous fascia lata.
Aims: this study was designate to determine retrospectively if the indications of surgery are correct, considering age, severity of pathology, relapses and complications. An analysis of demographic data and outcomes for each technique is performed.
Methods: in this study we analyze case series of 33 pediatric patients affected by congenital ptosis and blepharophimosis congenital syndrome, surgically treated from 2000 to 2008 in the ophtalmic pediatric surgery department at the Niguarda Hospital of Milan. A literature review was also performed.
Results: the mean age at presentation was 4.13. The diagnosis was precocious in most cases and often helped by some recognizable clinical signs: compensatory head posture (48.5%), anisometropia (36.4%), astigmatism (48.5%), strabismus (36.4%) and amblyopia (15.2%). Most of patients was treated with frontalis suspension (57.6%) and their age was significatively lower than patients treated with levator resection. No difference about complications and recurrence was reported between the two techniques. Complications and recurrence amount to 39.4%.
Conclusion: these results are in line with other studies in literature. A precociuos treatment is able to reduce the incidence of amblyopia from 34% to 8%. The choice of the treatment (resection Vs suspension) has to consider the age of the patient, the severity of ptosis and avaibility of fascia lata. Nevertheless no significative difference in outcomes have been demonstrated between the two techniques.