The Incidence of Reoperation and Related Risk Factors Among Patients With Infantile Exotropia.

PURPOSE: To determine the incidence and related risk factors of reoperation among patients with infantile exotropia who were operated on at Imam Hossein Medical Center, Tehran, Iran, from 2001 to 2015.

METHODS: In this study, 82 children (55 girls and 27 boys) with infantile exotropia were divided into two groups 3 months after their first operation: children with horizontal deviation of 10 prism diopters (PD) or less (n = 64; success group) and those with horizontal deviation greater than 10 PD (n = 18; failure group). Patients with deviation of 20 PD or greater were indicated for reoperation. Factors including age at the first operation, preoperative angle of deviation, inferior oblique muscle overaction, dissociated vertical deviation, and A- or V-pattern in relation to reoperation were studied. Sensory status of children older than 5 years was also evaluated using Worth 4-dot and Titmus tests.

RESULTS: Reoperation was indicated in 18.3% (n = 15) of patients after 11.5 ± 19 months of follow-up. Preoperative angle of deviation (P < .001) and surgical approach (P = .017) were statistically different between the failure and success groups. The majority of patients (71%) achieved fusion and gross stereopsis (< 3,000 seconds of arc) after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS: According to the results, 18.3% of patients with infantile exotropia, especially those with more preoperative exotropia, needed reoperation to achieve good alignment. Although the recession-resection method had better motor results, the authors could not recommend it as a first operation for all patients with infantile exotropia because it was only performed on patients with amblyopia. Gross stereopsis and binocular fusion were seen in the majority of patients. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2017;54(1):22-30.].