Transcutaneous aponeurotic repair with small detachment of the levator aponeurosis for aponeurotic blepharoptosis in Japanese patients.

PURPOSE: To examine the surgical outcomes of a modified transcutaneous aponeurotic repair for aponeurotic blepharoptosis in a Japanese population.

METHODS: This retrospective study included 75 eyelids of 45 patients with aponeurotic blepharoptosis who had undergone a modified transcutaneous aponeurotic repair. This procedure included a long skin incision for securing a wide surgical field, creation of a double eyelid crease, and a small extent of detachment of the levator aponeurosis from the tarsal surface. Functional success was defined as a postoperative margin reflex distance-1 of 2-5 mm without serious complications at 3 months postoperatively. Cosmetic success was judged by achieving a ≤ 1-mm laterality of eyelid height, a ≤ 2-mm laterality of pretarsal show, and symmetry of the eyelid contour at 3 months postoperatively.

RESULTS: The functional success rate was 70.7% among all patients, with 84.4%, 86.7%, and 88.9% of patients showing cosmetic success regarding symmetry of eyelid height, pretarsal show, and eyelid contour, respectively. After applying functional and all 3 cosmetic criteria simultaneously, 28 patients (62.2%) were satisfied in this study. No serious complications occurred during the follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS: This modified procedure provided good functional and cosmetic outcomes for aponeurotic blepharoptosis, indicating an acceptable blepharoptosis repair for East Asian patients.