[Opinions of German-speaking experts about strabismus surgery].

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of studies about how to proceed surgically in rare strabismus diseases. It was the aim of this study to interview experienced German-speaking strabismologists about how they perform surgery in rare but also some frequent strabismic conditions. The focus was on the choice of the technique, the timing, and the dosage.

METHOD: A validated questionnaire was sent to 11 experienced strabismus surgeons. It contained questions about the following topics: congenital fibrosis syndrome, Jaentsch-Brown syndrome, intermittent exotropia, maximum dosage for rectus muscle surgery, Kestenbaum surgery, sixth nerve palsy, heterophorias, myokymia of the superior oblique muscle, thyroid endocrine orbitopathy, dissociated vertical deviation, adjustable sutures, advancement of previously recessed rectus muscles, retroequatorial myopiexia, and congenital esotropia.

RESULTS: Ten experts answered the questionnaire (91%). There was a large consent for many topics. However, for many procedures there was disagreement about the dosage and the timing. Since some questions addressed rare diseases and many strabismologists use only certain types of surgical procedures, some questions could only be answered by a few surgeons.

CONCLUSIONS: German-speaking strabismologist show a large consensus about the type of surgical procedure to use, but often disagree about the dosage and timing of the operation.