The safety and applications of acellular human dermal allograft in ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery - A preliminary report

Purpose: To describe the uses and determine the safety of a commercially av ailable acellular dermal allograft in ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery. The existing literature regarding current applications and result s using acellular dermal allograft is reviewed. Methods: The study design was a retrospective, noncomparative case series. Participants consisted of 63 consecutive patients undergoing ophthalmic pla stic and reconstructive surgery using an acellular dermal matrix graft. The main intervention was placement of a dermal allograft. Outcome measures in cluded the degree of clinical improvement and complications for each patien t. Results: We used AlloDerm (LifeCell Corporation, The Woodlands, TX, U.S.A.) as a posterior lamellar conjunctival spacer graft, a soft tissue interposi tional graft, and an orbital implant wrapping material. Clinical improvemen t was noted in all cases. There were no complications attributable to the a cellular dermal matrix material. Conclusions: We describe several novel ophthalmic plastic and reconstructiv e surgical applications using acellular dermal allograft tissue. This mater ial may be used safely as a posterior lamellar conjunctival spacer graft, a soft tissue interpositional graft, and a wrapping material. Clinically, th e allograft appears to be biocompatible, nontoxic, and nonallergenic in the orbit, eyelid, and midfacial tissues. Long-term data and studies comparing the efficacy of acellular dermal allograft with conventional materials are necessary.