Immediate Postoperative Alignment Following Bimedial Rectus Recession for Esotropia in Children Compared to Adults

PURPOSE: To determine whether the immediate postoperative alignment among patients undergoing successful bilateral weakening surgery for esotropia is different in children compared to adults. METHODS: The medical records of all patients undergoing surgery for esotropia by a single surgeon at a major academic referral center between January 1, 2002, and July 1, 2014 (n = 544), were retrospectively reviewed. Exclusion criteria included those with prior strabismus surgery, unilateral surgery, strengthening procedures, vertical or superior oblique surgery, and those wearing hyperopic spectacles for accommodative esotropia. Additionally, all patients had to have a 1- and 6-week postoperative examination and 8 prism diopters (PD) or less of deviation at their 6-week examination. RESULTS: Ninety-five (17.5%) of the 544 patients met the inclusion criteria. Surgery was performed at a median age of 3.7 years (range: 7 months to 86 years) for a median esodeviation of 35 PD (range: 12 to 70 PD). Among the 73 patients younger than 11 years, the immediate mean postoperative alignment was 9 PD of exotropia (range: 14 PD esotropia to 30 PD exotropia) compared to 2 PD of exotropia (range: 9 PD esotropia to 30 PD exotropia) in the 22 patients 11 years or older (P = .001). Seventy-one percent of successfully aligned patients younger than 11 years were exotropic in the immediate postoperative week compared to 23% of those 11 years or older (P < .001). Twenty-four (32.8%) of the younger cohort had an immediate overcorrection of 15 PD or more compared to 1 (4.5%) in the older cohort (P = .006). CONCLUSIONS: Successful bilateral strabismus surgery for children with esotropia results in a significantly greater overcorrection, compared to adults, in the immediate postoperative period. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2018;55(5):299-305.].