Comparative study of unilateral lateral rectus hang-back recession versus bilateral rectus hang-back recession for management of small-angle basic intermittent exotropia in Egyptians children

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of unilateral lateral rectus hang-back recession (ULR) compared with bilateral rectus hang-back recession (BLR) for management of small-angle basic intermittent exotropia in Egyptian children. Patients and methods The study included 50 patients with basic intermittent exotropia. They were divided into two groups: group A underwent ULR, and group B underwent BLR. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination including measuring the angles of deviation at distant and near. They were followed up at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively. Results The final postoperative distant angle of deviation was 4.9±4.4 prism diopter (PD) for the ULR group and 3.2±6.9 PD for the BLR group, whereas the final postoperative near angle of deviation was 4.4±2.3 PD for the ULR group and 2.88±8.2 PD for the BLR group, with no statistically significant difference between the two group regarding both angles by the end of the follow-up period (P>0.05). Conclusion The ULR technique is comparable to the BLR technique regarding the efficacy and long-term angle stability.

Keywords

• basic
• exotropia
• intermittent
• recession
• unilateral lateral rectus hang-back recession