Infantile Esotropia: Results in the Neurologic Impaired and "Normal" Child at NCMH (Six Years)/DISCUSSION

Abstract

Charts of all infantile esotropes who received their primary surgical procedure at the North Carolina Memorial Hospital, between February 1978 and June 1984 were reviewed. Neurologic problems (general and ocular) were identified in 29 of the 47 patients (61.7%) followed a minimum three months (mean = 25.0 +/- 2.9 mos). Frequent general neurologic problems were prematurity, hydrocephalus, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, meningomyelocele, intraventricular hemorrhage, and seizures (neonatal and/or postnatal). Abducens nerve palsy was the most common ocular neurologic impairment. Neurologic impaired esotropes were older (mean = 31.9 +/- 3.8 mos) than the "normal" group (mean = 17.0 +/- 3.3 mos) at the time of surgery. Recession/resection procedures were performed on 13 (44.8%) of the neurologically impaired and nine (50.0%) of the normal esotropes. Bimedial recessions were employed on 12 (41.4%) of the patients with neurologic problems and seven (38.8%) of the normal esotropes. Unilateral medial recessions and/or inferior oblique recessions were performed on six patients. At last follow-up, orthophoria (+/- 10 delta) was present in 16 (55.2%) neurologically impaired patients and 15 (83.3%) normal esotropes (p less than 0.05 by the normal deviate (z) test). Seven (24.1%) neurologically impaired patients had residual esotropia, while consecutive exotropia was present in six (20.7%) patients. Among normal esotropes, residual esotropia was found in one patient and consecutive exotropia in two (11.1%) patients. DVD's occurred in nine patients while four subjects developed a postoperative accommodative component.