The Surgical Results of Medial Rectus Muscle Resection of Dominant Eye and Lateral Rectus Muscle Recession of Non-dominant Eye in Intermittent Exotropia

ABSTRACT

Intermittent Exotropia has been treated by various surgical methods such as bilateral medial rectus resection, lateral rectus recession and medial rectus resection of deviating eye, and bilateral lateral rectus recession. However, the outcomes of such operations are unsatisfactory because of high incidence of postoperative undercorrection and overcorrection. Authors have performed a surgical method which is the medial rectus muscle resection of dominant eye and lateral rectus muscle recession of non-dominant eye in 68 patients. Authors considered the outcome successful if patients achieve deviation between 10 PD of exophoria and 5 PD of esophoria, good stereopsis, no suppression and no manifest deviation. The success rate was 83.8% (57/68) and there was no overcorrection over 6 months follow-up. As postoperative complications, 5 cases of temporary turning of face and 3 cases of asymmetric palpebral fissure were seen. Therefore, these results suggest that medial rectus resection of dominant eye and lateral rectus recession of non-dominant eye in intermittent exotropia may be an alternative surgical method for intermittent exotropia. However, further studies are necessary to determine the exact surgical amounts and mechanism of this surgical method.