Long-term Motor and Sensory Outcomes After Unilateral Medial Rectus Recession-Lateral Rectus Resection for Infantile Esotropia

Purpose: To report long-term motor and sensory outcomes after unilateral medial rectus recession-lateral rectus resection for infantile esotropia. Methods: The medical records of patients who had undergone unilateral medial rectus recession-lateral rectus resection for infantile esotropia and were followed up postoperatively for a minimum of 10 years were reviewed retrospectively. Results: A total of 100 patients were included. The mean age at surgery was 2.9 +/- 2.2 years (range: 2.5 months to 9.0 years). The mean postoperative followup was 15.7 +/- 4.4 years (range:10.0 to 27.5 years). Overall, 54 patients (54%) had surgical success at their last follow-up visit. Age at first surgery, strabismus duration, degree of hyperopia, preoperative size of deviation, presence of dissociated vertical deviation, inferior oblique overaction, or both dissociated vertical deviation and inferior oblique overaction, and the number of esotropia surgeries did not predict motor outcome after surgery. Consecutive exotropia developed in 43% of patients (constant in 18% and intermittent in 25%). Residual and recurrent esotropia occurred in 20% and 21% of patients, respectively. Refractive accommodative esotropia developed in 17% of patients and there was a high accommodation convergence/accommodation ratio esotropia in 2%. Peripheral binocular single vision was achieved in 54% of patients and stereopsis in 1%. Patients with 1.5 years or less of strabismus duration had better chances of achieving peripheral binocular single vision. Conclusions: Nearly half of our patients with infantile esotropia achieved a successful long-term motor outcome and peripheral binocular single vision. Consecutive exotropia occurred frequently. Recurrent esotropia and refractive accommodative esotropia developed in some patients, and a high accommodation convergence/accommodation ratio esotropia in a few. Stereopsis outcome was extremely poor.