Dermis-fat grafts and enucleation in Ghanaian children: 5 years' experience.

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Enucleation in young children often results in retarded orbital growth ipsilaterally. The need for an implant that will naturally grow with the child, like Dermis-fat Graft (DFG), for managing the anophthalmia has been of interest over the years. To evaluate the use of DFG as an implant for volume replacement post-enucleation. A prospective non-comparative case series involving 18 consecutive children who had DFG either primarily or secondarily in conjunction with enucleation for intraocular pathologies, from December 2007 to September 2012, at the ophthalmology unit, Korle-Bu. Data from patients who had a minimum of three months follow up(FUP) were analysed. Complete covering of DFG with healthy conjunctiva, increase in volume of DFG, and presence or absence of complications. Fifteen patients were analysed, aged nine months to ten years (mean (SD), 3.7±2.7years). Eight (53.3%) were females. Thirteen (86.7%) DFGs were secondary and 2(13.3%) primary. Indications for enucleation were intraocular retinoblastoma (n=10, 66.7%), unexplained retinal detachment mimicking retinoblastoma (n=3,20.0%), anterior staphyloma (n=1,6.7%) and medulloepithelioma (n=1,6.7%). Fourteen (93.3%) patients showed increase in volume of DFG. Time for Conjunctival reepithelialisation of the dermal surface was four to fourteen weeks (mean/median=5.5/4.0). Complications encountered were infection (n=1,6.7%),

Evidence level

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

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