Analysis of postoperative outcomes in patients with intermittent exotropia according to preoperative change of angle of deviation

Abstract

Purpose: The correlation between the existence of the preoperative condition of 10 prism diopters (PD) in patients with basic type of intermittent exotropia (IXT) and postoperative outcomes was analyzed. Methods: The medical records of patients that underwent surgery for IXT were analyzed retrospectively. The analysis was conducted by dividing the patients into a group with change of 10 PD (group 1) and 10 PD (group 2) before the time of the surgery. Patients who received at least 6 months of follow-up after surgery were included. The age, sex, angle of deviation and stereoacuity of the patients were studied. Surgical success was defined as exodeviation of 10 PD or esodeviation of 4 PD at the final visit after the surgery. The correlation between clinical factors and surgical success rate was analyzed by using correlative analysis. Results: A total of 129 patients participated in the study. There were 108 (83.7%) and 21 (16.3%) patients in groups 1 and 2, respectively. There were 89 (82.4%) and 17 (80.1%) patients with surgical successes in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p = 0.18). Moreover, 13 (12.0%) patients in group 1 and three (14.3%) patients in group 2 required reoperation, showing no significant difference (p = 0.12). There was no statistically significant correlation between surgical success and preoperative change of angle of deviation 10 PD (odds ratio, 1.78; p = 0.17). Conclusions: Among the patients with basic type of IXT subjected to the analysis, 16.3% had a change of 10 PD before surgery, and there was no significant correlation between surgical success and preoperative change of angle of deviation.