Spontaneous repair of lower eyelid after tumour excision

Twelve patients with a clinical diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma of the lower eyelid were treated with a margin-including full-thickness excision of the lower eyelid. Apart from cauterization of bleeding vessels this excision was the sole primary surgical procedure in these patients. The resulting defects of 1/3 to 3/4 of the horizontal extent of the lower eyelid and varying in height from 4 to 8 mm healed spontaneously within a few weeks. The cosmetic appearance continued to improve over a further 1-2 months. There were few ocular or palpebral complications, although in one patient there was a recurrence of a basal cell carcinoma. The cosmetic and functional results were good in all patients. The surgical procedure could be performed on an outpatient basis under local anaesthesia in 10-15 min.