Surgical treatment of consecutive exotropia: Comparison of different surgical methods applied to one eye in one session.

Purpose: To compare the different surgical methods performed on a single eye in a single session and the factors that affect the success of patients having consecutive exotropia (XT) developed after esotropia surgery.

Methods: The medical data of the patients who underwent surgery for consecutive XT were reviewed retrospectively. Patients with followed of 6 months or more were divided into four groups; patients with medial rectus (MR) advancement (Group 1 = 10), MR advancement and MR resection (Group 2 = 12), MR advancement and lateral rectus (LR) recession (Group 3 = 13), MR advancement, MR resection, and LR recession (Group 4 = 14). Success results and possible risk factors were investigated.

Results: Forty-nine patients with consecutive XT (21 female, 28 male) were enrolled in the study. The mean age of overall patients was 22.97 years at surgery for consecutive XT. The groups did not display significant differences in terms of surgery ages, gender, refraction values, visual acuity, amblyopia, inferior oblique overaction, limitation of adduction, surgical success rates, and follow-up time ( > 0.05). Patients of Group 4 had larger preoperative and postoperative deviation, while Group 1 had smaller ( < 0.05). The surgical success rates of Groups 1, 2, 3, 4 were 90%, 75%, 76.9%, and 50%, respectively ( = 0.192). Statistically, no factor was found to be effective in surgical success rates ( > 0.05).

Conclusion: Surgical treatment of consecutive XT is successful in most of the patients with numerous surgical options performed on a single eye in a single session. Patients, particularly with a high amount of deviation should be warned about the possibility of additional surgery.