Comparison of Lower Eyelid Retraction Repair Using Hard Palate, Autologous Ear Cartilage, and Porcine Acellular Dermal Matrix Spacer Grafts

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to find out which of three spacer graft types—hard palate, autologous ear cartilage, or porcine acellular dermal matrix—is most effective for repairing lower eyelid retraction. Lower eyelid retraction can cause eye discomfort or vision problems and may result from thyroid eye disease, cosmetic surgery, muscle surgery, nerve paralysis, or natural anatomy. Surgery with spacer grafts is often needed when other treatments are not enough. Patients already scheduled for lower eyelid retraction repair will be randomly assigned to receive one of the three spacer grafts during surgery. The grafts being compared are hard palate tissue, ear cartilage from the patient, and a pig-derived acellular dermal matrix called Enduragen. Both the patient and surgeon will know which graft is used. The study will monitor surgical results and complications over time. Participants will be evaluated before surgery and then at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after surgery. Researchers will measure eyelid height to assess repair success and track any post-surgical complications during these visits. The goal is to determine which graft type leads to the best outcomes and fewer complications, guiding better choices for future eyelid surgeries. The study is sponsored by Montefiore Medical Center and runs until July 2028.

Spacer Graft Study