The lateral tarsal strip revisited. The enhanced tarsal strip
D. R. Jordan and R. L. Anderson
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City.
The lateral tarsal strip procedure was originally designed for the
treatment of upper and lower eyelid laxity, or lateral canthal tendon
laxity or malposition. Despite the excellent results with a standard tarsal
strip procedure for those eyelids with laxity and excess skin, we have
encountered a number of patients with lower eyelid or canthal malpositions
or both who would benefit from a tarsal strip, but who do not have lax
tissues (especially skin), and may in fact have a shortage of skin. These
include cases of lower lid retraction or canthal malposition following
trauma, blepharoplasty, or other operations, and patients with tendency
toward or having cicatricial ectropion. Any anterior lamella removal in
such patients would aggravate the lid malposition and weaken the lateral
canthal tissues to be sutured. We suggest a modification of the tarsal
strip (developed by one of us [R.L.A.]) to treat many such patients without
requiring additional anterior lamella (skin graft) or more formidable
procedures. We refer to this technique as the "enhanced tarsal strip"
technique, and we use this technique more frequently than the original
tarsal strip procedure.
