Abstract
BACKGROUND Congenital eyelid coloboma in children often faces complications such as keratitis, symblepharon, and amblyopia. Repairing defects involving at least 50% of the eyelid margin can be challenging. Acellular dermal allograft (ADA) has achieved excellent results as a substitute in adult eye plastic surgery, with minimal morbidity. This report describes a case of reconstruction of an eyelid defect in a 7-month-old male infant using an ADA. CASE REPORT A 7-month-old male infant was referred due to congenital eyelid coloboma in the left eye, which affected nearly one-half of the upper and lower eyelids medially, with more than 9 mm of lagophthalmos and lacrimal duct malformation inducing dacryocystitis. Under general anesthesia, A U-shaped silicone drainage tube was inserted in the nasolacrimal duct to ensure an unobstructed lacrimal duct. The symblepharon release, pseudopterygium excision, and medial canthus reconstruction were performed sequentially. Then, the upper eyelid defect was repaired through the advancement of the lateral segment of the eyelid, following lateral cantholysis. A trimmed ADA was placed as a substitute for the tarsal plate in the lower eyelid defect area and sutured with the free edge of the retractor. Finally, the lower and lateral skin orbicular muscle flap was advanced to cover the acellular dermis composite graft. The postoperative eyelid morphology was satisfactory. At 6 months after surgery, lower eyelid retraction gradually appeared. CONCLUSIONS ADA is presented as an effective solution for reconstructing significant eyelid defects of infants. However, the potential of postoperative eyelid retraction still deserves future research and refinement in surgical techniques.