Comparison between medial rectus pulley fixation and augmented recession in children with convergence excess and

Heba M Fouad1, Mohamad A Abdelhakim1, Ahmed Awadein1

  • 1Cairo University Faculty of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt.

Insights

Medial rectus muscle pulley fixation showed a higher success rate than augmented recession for treating esotropia in children. Pulley fixation also resulted in significantly lower postoperative angle deviations and disparity.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Pediatric Ophthalmology
  • Strabismus Surgery

Background:

  • Convergence excess esotropia and variable-angle infantile esotropia are common forms of strabismus in children.
  • Surgical management aims to correct eye alignment and improve binocular vision.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the efficacy of medial rectus (MR) muscle pulley fixation versus augmented recession in children with convergence excess esotropia and variable-angle infantile esotropia.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective randomized interventional study involving 60 children with esotropia.
  • Patients were randomly assigned to either augmented MR muscle recession or MR muscle pulley posterior fixation.
  • Surgical techniques and outcome measures, including angles of deviation and angle disparity, were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • The pulley fixation group demonstrated a statistically significant higher success rate (70%) compared to the augmented group (40%) (P = 0.037).
  • Postoperative smallest and largest angles of deviation, as well as angle disparity, were significantly lower in the pulley group (P < 0.01).

Conclusions:

  • Medial rectus muscle pulley fixation is an effective surgical technique for managing variable angle esotropia and convergence excess esotropia.
  • Pulley fixation offers advantages in reducing angle variability and improving outcomes in specific pediatric strabismus cases.
Abstract