Minimally invasive strabismus surgery for rectus muscle posterior fixation

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Surgical Innovation
• Strabismus Treatment

Background:

• Strabismus surgery often involves significant conjunctival manipulation.
• Posterior fixation of rectus muscles is a common strabismus surgical approach.
• Minimally invasive techniques aim to reduce surgical trauma and improve recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a novel minimally invasive strabismus surgery (MISS) technique.
• To assess the feasibility and efficacy of MISS for rectus muscle posterior fixation.
• To compare the early postoperative outcomes of MISS with traditional methods.

Main Methods:

• 32 consecutive MISS rectus muscle posterior fixation surgeries were performed on 19 patients.
• The technique utilized two small L-shaped openings for retroequatorial scleromuscular suture placement.
• Data on postoperative inflammation, complications, visual acuity, and ocular alignment were collected.

Main Results:

• Minimal conjunctival redness observed postoperatively (50% hardly visible, 19% moderate).
• No serious complications occurred during the study period.
• Significant reduction in convergence excess (p < 0.005) and improvement in gaze incomitance were noted at 6 months.

Conclusions:

• Keyhole minimal-dissection rectus muscle posterior fixation surgery is feasible and effective for improving ocular alignment.
• The MISS technique demonstrates advantages in the early postoperative period with reduced swelling and no corneal complications.
• This approach offers a promising alternative for strabismus correction.