Surgery in a Patient with Sensory Exotropia with an Abnormally Attached Lateral Rectus Muscle

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#We report surgical repair of an abnormally attached lateral rectus muscle in a sensory exotropia patient.Case summary: A 21-year-old man visited our hospital with lateral deviation in the right eye. The patient had a history of trauma (11 years previously) to the right eye, which showed 30 prism diopters of exotropia. In accordance with a diagnosis of sensory exotropia, 7.5-mm lateral rectus muscle recession and 6-mm medial rectus muscle resection were planned in the right eye. During surgery, the lateral rectus muscle was inserted into the sclera at a distance of 12 mm from the corneal limbus. To compensate for this, the lateral rectus muscle was recessed with an adjustable suture. After surgery, the patient showed 8-10 prism diopters of exotropia. A 2-mm recession was achieved by suturing. After surgery, the patient did not show exotropia, while after 3 months of follow-up the patient showed about 4 prism diopters of esotropia. @*Conclusions@#Despite abnormal attachment of an extraocular muscle, it is possible to obtain a good cosmetic result if the surgery is performed according to the preoperative plan. Suturing can be helpful if the surgical field is difficult to secure during the surgery.