Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40522996›Full record

SynthesisPLoS neglected tropical diseases2025

Techniques for the surgical correction of lagophthalmos secondary to leprosy: A systematic review.

Matthew Willis, Heynes Brown, Dan McGrath, Essam Eltoukhy, Anil Fastenau

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Matthew WillisDepartment of Global Health, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.ORCID 0009-0003-1475-9915
Heynes BrownSchool of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom.
Dan McGrathSchool of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom.
Essam EltoukhyCairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Anil FastenauDepartment of Global Health, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLeprosy is an infectious neglected tropical disease that can result in chronic immune mediated nerve damage. When this involves the facial nerve, this can lead to lagophthalmos, with the later stages requiring surgical correction. If untreated lagophthalmos can cause keratopathies leading to visual impairment and eventual blindness. However, to date no paper has systematically reviewed the surgical management of lagophthalmos in those affected by leprosy.

methodsA systematic review was conducted on the 16/11/2024 with data from PubMed, Infolep, Web of Sciences Core Collection and Medline ALL. Data extraction and analysis followed PRISMA guidelines. Included were English-language studies on the outcomes of surgical procedures for the surgical management of lagophthalmos, regardless the year of publication.

resultsThe 12 papers identified contained data from seven countries. The majority of papers studied Temporalis Muscle transfer. Gillies technique or modifications of this technique were reported in five papers. Three papers reported modifications of Johnson's method of temporalis tendon transfer. One paper reported TMT using a silicone sling. Patients also received TMT using the Brown-McDonnell and the McCord-Cordner techniques. Lagophthalmos was also corrected using gold or steel weight implant techniques. One paper each studied lateral tarsal strip, modified tarsorrhaphy and scapha graft. DISCUSSION/

conclusionTreatment of lagophthalmos is vital to preserve vision in those affected by leprosy, however, it is important to take into consideration the practical advantages of the five broad techniques identified by this review. Factors such as the type of anaesthesia, level of expertise, success rate, incidence and risk of complications, and longevity and stability of the results, are vital to consider when conducting these surgical procedures in reduced resource settings. Therefore, operations which are more cost effective, show a reduced complication rate and yield better long-term results without complicated follow-up are more likely to be adopted in lower resource settings.

Indexed as

Eyelid DiseasesLeprosyHumansLagophthalmos

Identifiers

PMID40522996
PMCPMC12193040

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.