Medical records of all patients with infantile exotropia or intermittent exotropia who had undergone bilateral lateral rectus muscle recession surgery with a follow-up longer than 3 years were reviewed. The pre- and postoperative angles of deviation at distance and at near and postoperative drift at distance were compared. Surgical outcome was categorized as 鈥渟uccess鈥?(esotropia <6螖 or exotropia <11螖), 鈥渞ecurrence鈥?(>10螖 exotropia), or 鈥渙vercorrection鈥?(>5螖 of esotropia).
The overall mean postoperative exotropic drift at 3 years was 10.4螖 in the infantile XT group and 7.2螖 in the intermittent XT group (P = 0.05). Both groups had a low success rate at 3 years: 41%in the infantile XT group and 51%in the intermittent XT group (P聽= 0.270). For patients with an initial esotropia of 0螖 to 10螖, the success rate at 3 years was 86%in the infantile XT group (12 of 14) and 65%in the intermittent XT group (28聽of 43).
Postoperative exotropic drift is clinically similar in patients with intermittent versus infantile exotropia. Esotropia of 0螖 to 10螖 during the early postoperative period may be associated with the best long-term ocular alignment.