Two-stage rapid exenteration reconstruction to allow early radiation therapy for an aggressive orbital cancer

Describe a novel two-stage orbital exenteration technique using an INTEGRA dermal regeneration matrix.

A 63-year-old Hispanic male presented with multiple invasive right eyelid masses that incisional biopsy revealed was infiltrative basal cell carcinoma. The patient underwent a right orbital exenteration without lid sparing. An INTEGRA graft was sutured in place to cover the defect at the time of surgery and allowed to vascularize for 3 weeks. During this time, frozen section of tumor margins previously read as negative were found to have invasive basal cell carcinoma on permanent section re-evaluation. Three weeks after the initial exenteration, the patient returned to the operating room and the dermal matrix of the INTEGRA graft was found to be well integrated and vascularized. Further resection was performed in the areas which were found to have residual cancer on permanent section evaluation. After preliminary frozen section pathology demonstrated clear margins, full-thickness skin grafts harvested from the right and left supraclavicular regions were thinned, draped, and fixated over the INTEGRA matrix.

The patient recovered well and experienced no immediate postoperative complications. Adjuvant radiotherapy began 5 weeks after initial exenteration with a fully epithelized exenterated socket. At postoperative week 16, our patient remained with full epithelization after completing radiation. As of postoperative week 47, our patient has had no complications.

The use of INTEGRA with full-thickness skin grafting for orbital exenteration reconstruction presents several advantages over traditional reconstruction approaches including: quicker recovery, tumor surveillance by re-examining edges of the resection after INTEGRA dermal placement, easier postoperative care, and earlier initiation of radiation therapy.