Recession and anterior transposition of the inferior oblique muscle [RATIO] to treat three cases of absent inferior rectus muscle.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The "loss" of an extraocular muscle during a surgical procedure requires a prompt solution. Muscle agenesis produces a strabismus of difficult resolution. In these cases, alternative strategies are required to restore the binocular alignment. We present three consecutive cases of inferior rectus absence that were successfully surgically resolved. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Three children with absent inferior rectus muscles are presented; one due to loss during strabismus surgery and two due to inferior rectus agenesia. All were treated with recession and anterior transposition of the inferior oblique muscle [RATIO]. RESULTS: All patients achieved a satisfactory result with the technique employed. CONCLUSION: RATIO is a useful procedure to restore binocular alignment in cases of inferior rectus absence.