Effects of Bilateral Medial Rectus Resection on Motor Outcomes in Infantile Exotropia

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of bilateral medial rectus resection (BMRres) on motor outcomes in infantile exotropia. METHODS: We evaluated 19 cases of infantile exotropia surgery. The mean age at surgical alignment was 4.8±3.4 years (range, 1.5–11.8 years). The surgical procedures included BMRres (5 cases), BMRres with unilateral lateral rectus recession (ULRR) (3 cases), bilateral lateral rectus recession (BLRR) (8 cases), unilateral lateral rectus recession and medial rectus resection (uniRandR) with contralateral lateral rectus recession (2 cases), and uniRandR (1 case). After dividing the cases into two groups (BMRres group, n=8; other group, n=11), the outcomes at 1 day and at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery were compared. Surgical outcomes were defined as (1) success: distant esotropia ≤5 prism diopters ((Δ)) or exotropia ≤10(Δ), (2) recurrence: exotropia >10(Δ), or (3) overcorrection: esotropia >5(Δ). RESULTS: Although postoperative distant deviations at 1 day were not different between the two groups, the BMRres group showed smaller distant deviations at 1, 3, and 6 months than the other group (p=0.015, 0.019, and 0.006, respectively). Success rates of the BMRres and other groups were 88% and 73% at 1 day, 100% and 36% at 1 month, 88% and 27% at 3 months, 88% and 18% at 6 months, respectively. Although there were no significant differences between the two groups within 3 months after surgery, surgical outcomes in the BMRres group 6 months after surgery were significantly better than those in the other group (p=0.003). CONCLUSION: BMRres is a better procedure than others for infantile exotropia to achieve desirable motor outcomes after surgery.