Augmented lateral rectus muscle recession for treatment of infantile exotropia

Background: The surgical outcome is usually not satisfactory for treatment of primary infantile exotropia (PIE) with large exodeviation angels of more than 50 prism diopters (PD). Here, we evaluate the effectiveness of augmented bilateral lateral rectus muscle recession (ABLRR) in treatment of PIE with large deviation angles.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for 25 patients with PIE who underwent ABLRR. ABLRR was performed using a hemi-hang-back technique. Ocular alignment, ocular motility and binocular vision were evaluated pre- and postoperatively.

Results: Fourteen males and 11 females with PIE were included in this study, with a mean age of (3.92 ± 2.02) years (range, 1-7 years). The average exodeviation angle was (-66.32 ± 7.84) PD (range, -60--80 PD) preoperatively. All patients underwent ABLRR using the hemi-hang-back technique. Three of them underwent bilateral inferior oblique muscle anterior transposition in the same operation. The mean surgical dosage was (11.08 ± 1.19) mm for each lateral rectus muscle. The mean of deviation angel was -2.28 ± 5.08 PD postoperatively (P < 0.05). All patients did not have abduction deficiency after a large amount of lateral rectus recession. Twenty-one of 25 patients (84.0%) achieved orthophoria at the primary gaze position at the final visit, and 13 patients obtained binocular vision.

Conclusions: ABLRR is an effective and safe surgical procedure for treatment of PIE with a large deviation angle.