Auricular chondro-perichondrial graft in the reconstruction of the lower eyelid.

The most common tumor of the eyelids is basal cell carcinoma. At this site, excision can be performed using Mohs micrographic surgery. Reconstruction of the upper or lower eyelids is a challenge due to their structural complexity and their important function. The eyelid has classically been divided into the anterior lamella, comprising skin, subcutaneous cellular tissue, and the orbicularis oculi muscle, and the posterior lamella, comprising the tarsus and the palpebral conjunctiva. In the posterior lamella, the tarsus provides fibrous and cartilaginous support to the eyelid as it is anchored to the periosteum of the orbit medially and laterally by the canthal ligaments. Successful eyelid reconstruction requires the repair of both subunits. At the present time, the techniques most widely used for the reconstruction of full-thickness defects of the posterior lamella of the lower eyelid are divided into tarsoconjunctival flaps, chondromucosal grafts, and chondroperichondral