title: Cyclic esotropia after a traumatic sixth nerve palsy in a child.
abstract: Cyclic esotropia is a rare phenomenon in which esotropia and orthophoria alternate over a period of 48 to 96 hours. The mechanism that underlies the phenomenon is unknown. Cyclic esotropia often occurs after a fusion-disrupting event. We report an unusual case of cycling esotropia with onset after a traumatic sixth nerve palsy. The cyclic phase persisted for 2 years, following a 48-hour alternate-day pattern. After strabismus surgery for the esotropic angle, the deviation disappeared and the patient remained orthotropic, with 1 year of follow-up to date.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Hutcheson
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Lambert
mesh_terms: D020222:Abducens Nerve Injury / Q000150:complications*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D004172:Diplopia / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D004948:Esotropia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009886:Ophthalmoplegia / Q000150:complications*; D010507:Periodicity