Intralesional triamcinolone acetonide injection for the treatment of primary chalazions

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of intralesional triamcinolone acetonide (TA) injection in the treatment of primary chalazions not responding to conservative treatment. Patient medical records were retrospectively reviewed for all consecutive patients that received intralesional TA injection by a single surgeon between January 2012 and March 2013 for the treatment of unresolved primary chalazions despite 1 month of conservative treatment. The dose of TA injection ranged from 2 to 6 mg (40 mg/mL) depending on the size of the chalazion. The main outcome measures included time to resolution, time to 50 % size reduction, and complications from the treatment. During the study period, 48 chalazions from 38 patients were treated by intralesional TA injection. A 50 % reduction in size was achieved in 81.3 % of chalazions in 4 weeks and 83 % achieved complete resolution in 6 weeks. The mean time to complete resolution was 15.7 ± 10.0 days. There were no complications noted from the injections; 14.6 % required subsequent incision and curettage and 2.1 % required a second TA injection for complete resolution. Intralesional TA injection is a safe, simple, and effective procedure for the management of primary chalazions and may be considered as an alternative to incision and curettage in cases not responding to conservative treatment.