Efficacy of lateral orbital rim decompression in patients with prior rim-sparing, three-wall orbital decompression

The purpose was to study the effects of removal of the lateral orbital rim in patients with prior three-wall decompression for thyroid eye disease (TED).

This was a single-institution retrospective case series of patients presenting with symptoms and signs of residual symptomatic proptosis that had previously undergone three-wall decompression for TED. Data collected included patient age, gender, presenting symptoms, ocular history, proptosis reduction, and complications.

Eleven orbits were identified. The mean preoperative exophthalmometry for the operative eye was 24.0 mm with 2.7 mm of relative proptosis. Removal of the lateral orbital rim resulted in a mean reduction in proptosis of 2.5 mm (range: 0.5-5.0 mm, P < 0.001). There was no significant change in diplopia, lagophthalmos, margin reflex distance (MRD) 1, MRD2, or exposure keratopathy. No canthal deformities were noted. All subjects reported satisfaction with functional and cosmetic outcomes of lateral orbital rim removal, and none reported problems with external contour irregularities of the lateral canthal region.

Removal of the lateral orbital rim as part of a maximal orbital bony decompression adds to the decompressive effect of proptosis reduction with minimal side effects.