Upper Arch Flap Combined with Extended Incision of Lower Eyelid: A Modified Epicanthoplasty in Correcting Epicanthus.

Abstract

The epicanthus, a lengthways cambered skinfold around the inner canthus, is particularly common in Orientals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcomes for patients with epicanthus after the application of a new surgical technique. A total of 753 patients with epicanthus underwent epicanthoplasty in our hospital from October 2009 to March 2017 and were enrolled in this study. All patients were treated with upper arch flap combined with extended incision of the lower eyelid surgical method, and the effects of the surgery were assessed by photographic analysis and satisfaction surveys. After the surgery, the eyelids of patients were elongated, and their inner canthi diameter was shortened without recurrence in the epicanthus. For 3.32% of the patients, there was a nonuniform edge thickness of the lower eyelid incision; for 8.23% of the patients, there was a slightly lighter skin color in the rest of quondam arch flap. Six months after the surgery, the incision scar was not obvious for all patients, and most of the patients (90.31%) were satisfied with the effect of the surgery. The upper arch flap combined with extended incision of the lower eyelid surgical method, a simple and effective surgical correction method, obtained a good cosmetic result with more secluded scar and high satisfaction for patients with epiblepharon. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .