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Steroid injections, surgery show similar efficacy for treating eyelid chalazia
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Injections of triamcinolone acetonide are almost as effective as surgical incision and curettage for treating patients with eyelid chalazia, according to a randomized study by researchers in London.
"To our knowledge, this is the first prospective randomized study comparing the three methods of chalazia treatment," the authors said.
Amynah Goawalla, MRCOphth, and Vickie Lee, FRCOphth, evaluated outcomes for 136 patients randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups for chalazion. Specifically, 56 patients received a 0.2 mL intralesional injection of 10 mg/mL triamcinolone acetonide and 45 patients received surgery. Thirty-five patients were treated conservatively; they were advised to apply hot compresses to the affected eye lid, according to the study.
At 3 weeks follow-up, chalazion had resolved in 47 (84%) triamcinolone-treated patients and in 39 (87%) surgically treated patients.
Significantly fewer patients in the conservative treatment group — 16 of 35 patients (46%) — showed resolution (P < .001), the authors reported.
Patients who underwent surgery reported higher pain scores postoperatively compared with those who received triamcinolone injections (P < .003). Patients treated with triamcinolone injections reported significantly less inconvenience compared with patients in the surgery and conservative treatment groups (P < .001), they noted.
Satisfaction scores were lowest among patients treated conservatively (P < .001), they added.
The study is published in the November issue of Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology.