Comparison of Two Polypropylene Frontalis Suspension Techniques in 92 Patients With Oculopharyngeal Muscular...

To compare the functional outcome of the polypropylene trapezoid frontalis suspension with the polypropylene modified Crawford frontalis suspension in a large cohort of patients with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.

Retrospective, nonrandomized comparative case series. Patients with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy who underwent bilateral polypropylene frontalis suspension were selected for chart review. Main outcome measures were margin reflex distance, duration of surgery, and ptosis recurrence.

Ninety-two patients qualified for chart review; 39 patients underwent the trapezoid sling and 53 patients the modified Crawford sling. There was no difference in preoperative margin reflex distance or levator function between the 2 surgical groups. Postoperative improvement in margin reflex distance was 2.95 ± 1.56 mm in the trapezoid group compared with 2.85 ± 1.65 mm in the modified Crawford group (p = 0.67). Duration of surgery was 40.49 ± 13.33 minutes in the trapezoid group compared with 53.77 ± 16.04 minutes in the modified Crawford group (p < 0.001). Five percent of eyes in the trapezoid group had ptosis recurrence compared with 13% of eyes in the modified Crawford group (p = 0.07).

Both polypropylene frontalis suspension techniques generated an equivalent increase in margin reflex distance. However, the trapezoid frontalis suspension required less operative time and trended toward a lower rate of ptosis recurrence.