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Orbital implant exposures, infections, and extrusions can occur many years following enucleation or evisceration. This study analyzes complication rates following porous orbital implant wrapped with a posterior auricular muscle complex graft (PAMCG). This is a retrospective study of patients who underwent orbital implantation following enucleation using this technique between 1992 and 2013. Only cases with a minimum of 18 months of follow-up were included. No patients underwent peg implantation. Patient's demographics, follow-up time, type of implant, complications including wound dehiscence, exposure, postoperative infection, and extrusion were recorded. This study included 36 orbits of 36 patients with a mean age of 39.3 ± 23.2 years (range, 3–84 years). Thirty patients had hydroxyapatite implants and six had porous polyethylene. The average follow-up time was 12.6 ± 5.6 years (range, 1.5–31.0 years). There were no implant extrusions, and only one exposure resulting in orbital infection that necessitated implant removal (2.8%). Wrapping porous orbital implants with PAMCG had favorable long-term outcomes over a thirty-one-year period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To histopathologically assess the extent and pattern of vascularization of explanted porous polyethylene (PP) and hyrdoxyapatite (HA) orbital implants. To compare the vascularization in PP implants harvested after enucleation versus after evisceration. Methods: This is a comparative case series of six orbital implants explanted between 11 months and 5 years and 4 months post implantation. The implants were subjected to histopathological examination with various stains, after complete decalcification. Results: There were 2 post evisceration, 3 post enucleation and 1 secondary implant. The size of the implants varied from 18 to 23 mm diameter. The reason for explantation was exposure in all the 6 cases with additional infection in 2 cases. Histopathology revealed complete vascularization up to the core of the implant in all the cases. There was evidence of chronic inflammation within all the explanted specimens. Acute inflammation was present at the site of exposure in four of the implants. Three of these implants had additional evidence of necrosis. Two cases with clinically evident infection had Gram positive cocci within the implant. Foreign-body type giant-cells, melanophages and haemosiderin laden macrophages were also observed. Eviscerated specimens showed scleral remodelling and thickening. Conclusion: All the implants were vascularized up to the core. There was histologic evidence of chronic inflammation in all the explanted implants possibly indicating the foreign nature of the implant material. The sclera did not impede vascularization of the implants in eviscerated specimens. We found no difference in the degree of vascularization of the implant in enucleated versus eviscerated implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]