Diagnosis and Treatment of Lacrimal Gland Prolapse: A Narrative Review

Abstract

BackgroundLacrimal gland prolapse (LGP) is considered to be one of the causes for upper eyelid contour abnormality that should be recognized and treated properly to yield satisfactory outcomes in blepharoplasty. To describe current findings about the prevalence, pre- and intraoperative diagnosis of LGP and its treatment options.MethodsPubMed and Google Scholar were thoroughly searched for articles published describing the diagnosis and treatment of LGP.ResultsThe reported prevalence of LGP by various authors varies between 10 and 60 based on their preoperative or intraoperative reports. Techniques such as dacryoadenopexy, modified dacryoadenopexy, and dacryoplasty have been described to secure the prolapsed lacrimal gland back into its original position. Additionally, creating a Whitnall's barrier has also been suggested as a method to reposition the gland. While all these surgical procedures have shown promising immediate results, there is a lack of published data on their long-term outcomes.ConclusionDiagnosis and proper treatment of LGP could enhance the cosmetic results of upper eyelid blepharoplasty.Level of Evidence IVThis 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.