Effects of Eyelid Protractor Excision for the Treatment of Benign Essential Blepharospasm

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-9394(14)74794-4Get rights and content

Data were analyzed from 37 patients with essential blepharospasm who had undergone upper eyelid protractor excision with brow suspension, and who had a median follow-up of 40 months (range, 12 to 83.5 months) after surgery. Of the 37 patients, 15 (40.5%) had sufficient relief of their spasms at their last follow-up; 22 patients (59.5%) had functionally significant recurrent or residual spasms after upper eyelid surgery. Of these 22 patients, 12 (55%) had recurrences more than six months after surgery, and four patients (18%) had recurrences more than one year after surgery. Patients with Meige syndrome were no more likely to experience recurrent spasms after upper eyelid surgery than patients who lacked a lower facial spasm component.

Recurrence of symptoms was primarily the result of lower eyelid spasms in 11 patients (50%), upper eyelid spasms in one patient (5%), and all eyelids in six patients (27%). The location of recurrent spasms could not be ascertained in four patients (18%), with whom we had only telephone contact. Seven of 12 patients (58%) undergoing secondary procedures had relief from their spasms at the end of this study. Excluding those patients who chose to decline further surgery, 22 of 27 patients (81.5%) received satisfactory relief of symptoms after upper eyelid and, if needed, lower eyelid and repeat upper eyelid protractor excision.

These long-term results are comparable to those reported previously for differential section of the facial nerve. Because the side effects of eyelid protractor excision are generally more acceptable, we recommend that when surgery is determined to be necessary for essential blepharospasm, upper eyelid protractor excision is the preferred surgical approach.

References (11)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (23)

  • TFOS DEWS II pathophysiology report

    2017, Ocular Surface
    Citation Excerpt :

    Also it is reported that 57% of DED resistant to treatment is associated with Meige syndrome [945]. In the past, oral psychotropic drugs or orbicular muscle resection have been applied effectively [942,946–948], but in recent years, local injection of Botulinum toxin is considered to be the most effective treatment [944,947,949]. Patients with diabetes complain of DED symptoms.

  • Surgical management of essential blepharospasm

    2005, Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America
  • Blepharospasm surgery

    2022, Foundational Papers in Oculoplastics
View all citing articles on Scopus

This study was supported in part by a departmental grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., New York, New York.

Reprint requests to Bartley R. Frueh, M.D., W. K. Kellogg Eye Center, 1000 Wall St., Ann Arbor, MI 48105-1994.

View full text