Related Experiment Videos
Posterior lamellar gold-weight extrusion
Nir Seider1, Itzchak Beiran, Mordechai Gdal-On
1The Alberto Moscona Department of Ophthalmology, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
|September 25, 2003
Summary
A rare complication of gold eyelid loading for lagophthalmos occurred 22 years post-surgery. The gold weight extruded posteriorly under the conjunctiva, a previously unreported event.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Oculoplastics
- Medical Device Complications
Background:
- Gold eyelid loading is a surgical procedure to treat lagophthalmos, a condition causing incomplete eyelid closure.
- This procedure involves implanting a gold weight into the eyelid to aid closure.
- Complications, such as anterior extrusion, are known but less common.
Observation:
- A patient presented with a foreign body sensation in an eye that had undergone gold eyelid loading 22 years prior.
- During examination, the gold weight was discovered beneath the palpebral conjunctiva.
- This represents a posterior extrusion of the implant.
Findings:
- Posterior extrusion of a gold eyelid loading implant through the tarsal plate has not been previously documented.
- Despite tarsal plate erosion, the patient experienced only minor symptoms, likely due to the chronic nature of the extrusion.
- This highlights a rare but possible complication of gold eyelid loading.
Implications:
- Surgeons performing gold eyelid loading should be aware of the potential for posterior extrusion.
- This case underscores the importance of long-term patient follow-up for implantable devices.
- Further investigation into the biomechanics and risk factors for posterior extrusion may be warranted.