What is the Difference Between Lateral Tarsal Strip and Canthoplasty? Are They the Same Procedure?

Lateral canthoplasty takes the natural lateral canthal tendon and suspends it to the orbital bone which tightens the lower eyelid.  A tarsal strip actually uses the tarsal plate (cartilage in the lower lid) which is shortened and used as the tendon to suspended to the orbital bone.

Dr. ES

   These two procedures can be used to accomplish the same goal, which is tightening of the lower eyelid.   For a lateral canthoplasty, the lateral canthal tendon can be released and repositioned to tighten or resuspend the eyelid at a different level, superior, posterior, lateral, etc.  The lateral tarsal strip can be used to anchor the lower lid at a different position as well but anchors this strip and not the lateral canthal tendon or element.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Canthoplasty literraly means reconstruction of the outer corner of the eye called lateral canthus. There are various ways to perform a canthoplasty, depending on the goal and problem. Tarsal strip procedure is a type of canthoplasty, reserved for lax lower eyelids. Minimal invasion canthoplasty is ideal.  See link below for more info.

Thank you for your question.  Canthoplasty is a more general name for a procedure where the lower eyelid is secured in order to improve eyelid position or to prevent lid malposition.  Tarsal strip is one variation of that procedure using some of the lid tissue to support anchoring.  Hope this helps. All the best.

These terms are not exactly interchangeable.

Every lateral tarsal strip procedure is a canthoplasty.

On the other hand, various canthplasty techniques are being used, the tarsal strip procedure being one of them.

 

Technically, "canthoplasty" means "changing the canthus", usually the lateral canthus [the outside corner of the eyelids, where the upper and lower eyelid meet]; this can mean several different things: sometimes it is just tightening the eyelids to prevent postsurgical scarring from changing the position of the eyelid corner, and sometimes it is actually changing the position of the corner of the eyelid, if there is a problem to begin with.

Often, plastic surgeons will use the term "canthoplasty" to describe a tightening of the eyelids at the outside corner of they eyelids.

A lateral tarsal strip is one of the techniques used to achieve these goals. The tarsal strip basically shortens the width of the eyelid slightly to give the eyelid better tone. Where you attach the eyelid back to the bone achieves the "canthoplasty"

Hope this helps.

 A canthoplasty is performed to tighten up the outside of the lower lids when   there is scleral show or ectropion. This can come from trauma, previous surgery, or congenital. A lateral tarsal strip is just one technique of the canthoplasty to tighten up the lateral portion of the lower lids in a horizontal fashion.This surgery is usually performed by an oculoplastic surgeon.

A tarsal strip procedure is one form of canthoplasty , but there are several other forms of canthoplasty.

Lateral tarsal strip procedure involves shortening the length of the lower eyelid by removing a small segment of it.  Canthoplasty may not necessarily involve the removal of the eyelid segment; sometimes the lower eyelid muscle is tightened and resupported to the bone without cutting the full thickness of the lower lid.  The decision when to do one procedures versus another depends on the degree of eyelid laxity, problem at hand, and surgeon's expertise.

Canthoplasty, a method of securing the lateral corner of the eye, thus tightening the lower lid. This is especially important to prevent complications in lower blepharoplasty. Using a lateral tarsal strip is one method of doing the canthoplasty.