Superior oblique tuck surgery in the management of superior oblique palsies.

Abstract

Three hundred and twenty-four patients with superior oblique muscle palsies required surgery over a 15-year period. Forty-four patients underwent superior oblique tuck surgery. Fifteen patients had unilateral and six bilateral tucks alone. Seventeen had unilateral tucks and three bilateral tucks in conjunction with other extraocular muscle surgery. Three had unilateral tucks with a contralateral Harada-Ito procedure. The best results were obtained with isolated superior oblique tucks and tucks in conjunction with a contralateral inferior rectus muscle recession or an ipsilateral inferior oblique muscle weakening procedure. The mean vertical correction following isolated, unilateral surgery was 3.6 prism diopters (range, 0 to 11 delta) in primary gaze and 15.3 delta (range, 0 to 40 delta) in the field of maximum deviation. The mean eso correction in downgaze with bilateral superior oblique tucks was 15.2 delta (range, 10 to 21 delta). There was no statistically significant correlation between the size of the tuck and the amount of deviation corrected. Some degree of postoperative Brown syndrome was seen in all patients, but became less marked with time and in no patient was it severe enough to require reversal of the tuck. In only four patients was there a significant lessening of the effect of the procedure with time. The results show that the superior oblique tuck procedure is an effective operation. In patients with unilateral muscle palsies, 64.3% with an abnormal head posture, 37.5% with diplopia, and 100% with both an abnormal head posture and diplopia achieved an excellent result. In patients with bilateral muscle palsies, 50% with an abnormal head posture and 66% with both an abnormal head posture and diplopia achieved an excellent result.