[The angle under anesthesia and elongation of the lateral rectus muscle in primary esotropia]

In a group of 34 patients with esotropia, the anesthetic sign was studied in order to decide on the selection of the eye that should be initially operated. It is based on the examination of the variation between the angle while the patient is awake and the angle under general anesthesia applied with a definite protocole. The operated eye was always the most convergent or the less divergent one under general anesthesia.

During the operation the elongation of the medial and lateral recti belonging to the operated eye were systematically measured by Rapp-Roth myometer and Péchereau ruler.

In 58% of cases, the examination under general anesthesia revealed an equivalent deviation of the dominated and dominant eyes form the midline. In 19% of cases convergence was obvious in the dominant eye while it existed in the dominated eyes in 23% of cases.

It is concluded that a significant relationship exists between the basic angle and the variation of the angle under general anesthesia as well as between the basic angle and the elongation of the lateral rectus. Besides, this study points out the absence of relationship between the angle under general anesthesia and the elongation of the lateral rectus as well as the elongation of the two recti.