Factors Influencing the Surgical Success in Patients with Intermittent Exotropia

Abstract

Pur po se: To determine the factors that influence surgical success in patients with intermittent exotropia. Ma te ri al and Met hod: We retrospectively evaluated the records of patients with intermittent exotropia who were diagnosed, operated, and followed up. Successful outcome was defined as alignment ≤10 prism diopters (PD) esophoria or exophoria at the last follow-up visit. The clinical findings, exodeviation types, surgical ages, operation types, preoperative and postoperative deviation amounts, presence of anisometropia and amblyopia, presence of A- or V-pattern, and presence of binocular vision and stereoacuity of patients were evaluated. We investigated the independent variables that affected the surgical success in intermittent exotropia patients. Re sults: Among the 379 patients included in the study, 266 (70.18%) underwent surgery, and the success rate was 68.05% (181 patients). In this successful surgery group, mean deviation was 25.82±11.27 PD at near and 30.80±10.59 PD at distance versus 30.93±12.47 PD and 34.92±11.02 PD, respectively, in the unsuccessful surgery group. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups. Preoperative factors, such as presence of binocular vision preoperatively, and postoperative factors, such as followup period and the patients' deviation amount in the 1st week and 6th month, were found to affect the surgical outcome. Dis cus si on: The success rate of surgical treatment of intermittent exotropia increases in the patients with presence of fusion and low preoperative deviation amounts. Also, in the early postoperative period, orthophoric or ≤10 PD esophoric patients have a higher final surgical success rate. (Turk J Ophthalmol 2013; 43: 107-12)

Keywords

• Strabismus
• exodeviation
• exotropia
• intermittent exotropia