Unilateral medial rectus recession for moderate angle esotropia

Abstract

Aim: Unilateral medial rectus recession is a predictable method for surgical correction of small-angle esotropia. This approach limits surgery to one eye, leaves the other muscles untouched, and requires less surgical time. A retrospective study on 19 patients with unilateral medial rectus recession of 6.0 mm for moderate-angle esotropia (30-35Δ) was analyzed. Method: Retrospective data were collected for all the children who underwent unilateral medial rectus recession for esotropia of 30 to 35Δ between June 2004 and April 2006. The postoperative deviations and ocular motility were noted at follow-up (6 weeks to 24 months). Results: Unilateral medial rectus recessions were performed on 19 children with esotropia of which 47.5% were acquired esotropia. The mean age was 9 years, with a preponderance of males (57.89%). Ten children (52.63%) were amblyopic, with visual acuity between 6/60 and 6/18. Sixteen of the children (84.21%) were straight postoperatively. Only three patients (15.78%) had greater than 12Δ; none were exotropic and there was no restriction of adduction. Conclusion: Unilateral medial rectus recession is a safe and predictable procedure and should be considered as an alternative approach in the management of moderate angle esotropia.