Silicone Rod versus Autogenous Fascia Lata for Frontalis Suspension Surgery

Objective: In this study, we aimed to assess the functional outcomes of the use of silicon rod (SR) and autogenous fascia lata (AFL) for frontalis suspension surgery (FSS) and compare the results with each other. Material- Methods: The medical records of the thirty-six eyes of 29 patients with blepharoptosis, who underwent frontalis suspension surgery during 1999 and 2003 were retrospectively reviewed. Two groups were defined according to the sling material utilized in FSS; AFL group and SR group. Results: A total of 29 patients were included in the study (range 9 months to -28 years). Twenty-four eyes of 18 patients (mean age 12.2 years, range 4 years- 28 years) were included in the AFL group and 12 eyes of 11 patients ( mean age 5.6 years, range 9 months-12 years) were included in the SR group. The mean follow-up time was 16.4 months. AFL group yielded 91.7% satisfactory results with no recurrence in ptosis. In contrast, SR group yielded 83.3% satisfactory results and 16.7% recurrence in ptosis. In terms of satisfactory results, there was not a significant difference between the groups (p >0.05). Conclusion: Over the age of 3 years, we recommend AFL as the material of choice for FSS due to better functional results. However, in patients less than 3 years old and in selected cases who have the risk of postoperative exposure keratopathy, SR should be preferred due to the ease of management postoperatively.