Treatment of congenital and acquired upper eyelid ptosis: report of 131 consecutive cases

In this paper, a 5-year experience in the management and surgical treatment of upper eyelid ptosis at the Plastic Surgery Institute of Milan University Medical School is presented. From September 1992 to April 1996 a total of 131 consecutive cases were treated surgically. The patients are grouped into three categories: those with good residual function of the levator muscle in which a levator resection procedure was performed; those with poor residual function in which a frontalis suspension was selected; and those with moderate residual function in which levator surgery was the initial treatment, followed by a second operation (frontalis suspension) in unsatisfactory results. At postoperative follow-up, 101 cases were rated good, 22 were fair, and nine were poor. Early and late complications are discussed, together with some important key-points in the management and surgical treatment of the patients. Received: 31 December 1999 / Accepted: 6 May 2000