title: Ptosis surgery on chronic myasthenia gravis.
abstract: We report three cases of long-standing, early onset myasthenia gravis. The eyes of all three patients eventually became disabled, and the patients were almost unable to move their eyes in any direction. We termed this condition as "frozen eyes" appearance. We discuss the unique clinical condition and follow the electromyographic and neuro-ophthalmological characteristics. The patients all suffered from ptosis, mild to moderate exotropia, and facial and oropharyngeal weakness. All of the patients responded to the neostigmine test positively at the early stage. Two of them were seropositive. The results of electromyography for two of these three cases were abnormal. The average duration of follow-up was 5 years. The treatments included conventional recession and resection procedures with adjustable sutures for strabismus and frontalis suspension for blepharoptosis. The patients achieved stable satisfactory results in over one-and-a-half years of postoperative follow up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical College Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Woung
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Lou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001763:Blepharoptosis / Q000601:surgery*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000601:surgery*; D013285:Strabismus / Q000601:surgery