Lipofilling of the upper eyelid to treat paralytic lagophthalmos.

Lagophthalmos is one of the most unpleasant and dangerous conditions that affect patients with facial palsy. The lack of ocular protection leads to corneal problems (such as conjunctival infections, acute and chronic keratitis, corneal ulcerations, and blindness). A dynamic reanimation of blinking eyelids is the therapeutic gold standard. However, success is not guaranteed with these dynamic techniques; even if results are good, blinking is usually restored within a year of the initial operation. Procedures that act more rapidly and have a higher success rate are needed. We proposed that lipofilling of the upper eyelid would improve eye closure, exploit the advantages of using autologous fat, and avoid the risks of exposure or migration associated with loading the lid with gold. Between 2012 and September 2018, we did upper eyelid lipofilling procedures for 75 patients with unilateral facial palsy. The main favourable result of lipofilling of the upper lid was the immediate improvement in corneal discomfort. Everybody described a partial to total increase in corneal comfort postoperatively. In the treatment of paralytic lagophthalmos, lipofilling of the upper eyelid produces favourable aesthetic and functional results, ocular health is restored, and the patients' quality of life is improved.

Maxillary shape at the end of puberty in operated unilateral cleft lip and palate: A geometric morphometric assessment using computer tomography.

INTRODUCTION: Cleft lip and palate (CLP) surgery interferes with maxillary growth and contributes to transversal and sagittal growth impairment. Our retrospective descriptive study aimed to evaluate maxillary bone shape in a homogenous unilateral CLP patient group using geometric morphometrics based on CT-scan data. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included all patients with available CT-scans at the end of pubertal growth and operated on at Smile House of Milan, according to the standard protocol, involving two surgical steps: (1) primary closure of the lip and soft palate at 6 months of age and (2) early secondary gingivoalveoloplasty (GAP) associated with hard palate repair at 18-36 months. Shape differences between CLP and an age-matched control group were characterized using geometric morphometrics based on 15 3D landmarks. RESULTS: We included 16 unilateral CLP patients and 20 age-matched controls. Principal component and canonical variate analyses showed that the maxillary shape in CLP was significantly different from controls but that this difference was limited. Linear and angular measurements confirmed these differences. CONCLUSION: Early secondary GAP results in satisfactory maxillary shape, with significant but limited differences relative to controls.

Lipofilling of the atrophied lip in facial palsy patients.

AIM: Patients affected by unilateral facial palsy often show partial or complete atrophy of the orbicularis oris. The lower hemilip on the affected side may have partial functional recover due to direct reinnervation stemming from the unaffected side. This explains why atrophy of the paralysed side is sometimes limited. Negative esthetic and functional findings include partial invisibility of the vermillion border due to lip inversion resulting from muscle flaccidity, asymmetry of the lower lip, oral incompetence, and speech and nutrition impairments of variable degree. In this study, we used Coleman lipofilling as a secondary and ancillary procedure to consolidate the results already obtained with dynamic reanimation, specifically aiming to reduce the volumetric loss due to atrophy of the orbicularis oris muscle. METHODS: Eight patients underwent lipofilling to restore volumetric loss due to muscular denervation atrophy. Six of our patients were affected by inveterate facial palsy and one by an acute form of facial palsy. The last patient presented with high-grade bilateral upper lip atrophy due to Moebius syndrome. Two patients underwent a second lipofilling intervention. RESULTS: The esthetic volume increase and the ameliorated lip competence were immediately noticeable after the first lipofilling, to great patient satisfaction. As a result of the variable rate of resorption over time of the grafted fat, it may be advisable to repeat the procedure in some patients to maximize results. CONCLUSION: Lipofilling represents a useful and safe ancillary technique for camouflage of lower lip atrophy in paralysed patients.