ABSTRACT
AIM: To provide an overview of the differential diagnoses of acquired esotropia that occur in the elderly and to facilitate their differentiation in everyday clinical practice. METHODS: The data of all patients who presented in our outpatient university department for strabology and neuroophthalmology from March 2014 to October 2015 due to esotropia with diplopia with onset after age 50 were evaluated retrospectively. Exclusion criteria were a known strabismus before the age of 50 and/or vertical deviations in the primary position. Anamnestic characteristics, accompanying findings and orthoptic parameters, were analysed. RESULTS: 85 patients were included in the study, 42 of them female and 43 male. The following diagnoses were made: abducens nerve palsy (n = 34, 3 of them both sides), esotropia due to myopia magna (n = 12), esotropia with accompanying neurological symptoms (n = 6) and other etiology (n = 5). In 4 cases, the diagnosis was still unclear at the end of the study. In 24 patients, none of the above diagnoses existed and the diagnosis of "sagging eye syndrome" (ETSAG) was made. The abducens nerve palsy typically showed a sudden onset of double vision, slowed abduction saccades and asymmetrical abduction ability. With unilateral abducens nerve palsy, the esotropia increased continuously from the view to the unaffected side through the primary position to the view to the affected side. Patients with ETSAG and myopia-associated esotropia, on the other hand, reported a gradual onset of double vision, showed normal abduction saccades and a slightly reduced abduction ability. The squint angle often increased slightly to both sides. Esotropia with accompanying neurological symptoms was rare and was seen in various underlying diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The kind of onset of the double vision, the quality of the saccades, the incomitance pattern and the ability to abduct are important parameters for the etiological assignment of an esotropia in the elderly. The characteristics of the individual diagnoses are described and differential diagnostic aspects are discussed.
Subject(s)
Esotropia/diagnosis , Esotropia/surgery , Aged , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Male , Oculomotor Muscles , Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: We report results of a modified vertical muscle transposition procedure according to the Hummelsheim principle - with and without simultaneous rectus muscle recession - for unilateral sixth nerve palsy. We examine the influence of the duration of the palsy, preoperative angle of squint and preoperative abductive capacity on surgical results of the procedures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of 29 consecutive patients with unilateral abducens nerve palsy who underwent surgery between 2001 and 2012. 21 patients had a modified vertical rectus muscle transposition according to the Hummelsheim principle (HUM); 8 patients had this operation combined with simultaneous medial rectus muscle recession (HUM+I). Surgery was performed at least 9 months after onset of the palsy (HUM: 9 to 98, median 19, mean 30 months; HUM+I: 12 to 65, median 25, mean 29 months). RESULTS: The median preoperative angle of squint (far distance) for the HUM group was 27.0° (20.0 to 45.0; mean 28.1°), and for the HUM+I group 30.5° (21.8 to 50.0; mean 33.4°). The median preoperative abductive capacity was for - 1,6 mm before midline (- 8.0 to + 1.2; mean - 1.8 mm) for the HUM group, and - 3.0 mm before midline (- 10.0 to - 1.0; mean - 4.1 mm) for the HUM+I group. The median postoperative angle of squint (far distance) was 0° (- 11.3 to + 20.0; mean 0.1°) for the HUM group, and - 2.3° (- 11.3 to + 12.0; mean - 2.1°) for the HUM+I group. The median postoperative abductive capacity was 1.0 mm (0 to + 3.0; mean + 1.1 mm) for the HUM group, and 1.1 mm (- 1.2 to + 3.0; mean + 0.9 mm) for the HUM+I group. The median reduction of squint angle was 27.0° (9.1 to 45.0; mean 28.0°) for the HUM group, and 36.8° (25.2 to 41.4; mean 35.5°) for the HUM+I group. The median effect on abductive capacity was 2.5 mm (0 to 11.0; mean + 2.9 mm) for the HUM group, and 4.6 mm (2.4 to 8.8; mean + 5.0 mm) for the HUM+I group. In the HUM group, the effect on squint angle reduced with the duration of the palsy, whereas, in the HUM+I group, the effect improved with the duration of the palsy. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with unilateral sixth nerve palsy, simultaneous medial rectus recession increases the effect of modified vertical rectus muscle surgery according to the Hummelsheim principle. The duration of the palsy is a relevant parameter for the selection of a sole or combined intervention with medial rectus recession.
