Comparative treatment study for Chalazian: Triamcinolone Acetonide injection versus Incision and Curettage versus Observation (TALCO study)

Background: Chalazion is a common eyelid disease caused by plugged meibomian glands and chronic lipogranulomatous inflammation. It can affect individuals of all ages and may cause local eye symptoms such as irritation and inflammation and cosmetic disfigurement. There are mainly three methods of treating chalazion: Intralesional Triamcinolone Acetonide (0.1-0.3 ml of 40mg/ml), Incision and Curettage and Conservative Treatment (hot compression +lid hygiene + antibiotic ointment) to the affected eyelid. To comparing which method is the best this study has been carried out Methodology: Patients with chalazion presenting to OPD from 15 March to 15 July 2017 were included in the study. They underwent any of the three procedures according to their choice. Follow up visit was done at two weeks to determine effectiveness in terms of reduction of size or complete resolution of the chalazion. Results: Out of 112 patients enrolled in study 65(58%) were females and 47(42%) were male with a male: female ratio of (0.7:1). The mean age of involvement was 25.7years (SD 10.3). At 2 weeks follow up there was complete resolution in incision and curettage (I and C) group 77 %( 41/53) and in Triamcinolone Acetonide (TA) injection group 63 %( 20/32). Pearsons correlations showed that I and C were superior to any other forms of intervention for any size of chalazion followed by intralesional injection of TA. Conclusion: Among the three methods, Incision and Curettage remained the best choice for treatment of chalazion followed by triamcinolone acetonide injection but may need multiple injections. Keywords: Chalazion, Intralesional Triamcinolone, Incision and Curettage, Meibomian Gland