title: Strabismus surgery in congenital third nerve palsy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Congenital third nerve palsy is a rare condition that usually presents with a large-angle incomitant strabismus and is often associated with ptosis and amblyopia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present the results of strabismus surgery in seven consecutive patients. RESULTS; All the palsies developed before the age of 6 months and the age at surgery ranged from 3 to 24 years. The operations performed included horizontal recti resection/recession (7), supra-placement of the insertions (6), superior oblique weakening (4) and traction sutures (4). The preoperative and postoperative horizontal deviations consisted of seven exotropias and one esotropia due to a combined sixth and partial third nerve palsy. The preoperative vertical deviation consisted of 7 hypotropias and one hypertropia; postoperatively, 5 remained hypotropic and 2 were hypertropic. All patients underwent ptosis surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with congenital third nerve palsy often achieve reasonable cosmesis with strabismus and ptosis surgery.
authors.affiliation: Strabismus & Paediatric Service, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Bentley
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001763:Blepharoptosis / Q000151:congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009801:Oculomotor Muscles / Q000601:surgery*; D015840:Oculomotor Nerve Diseases / Q000151:congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013285:Strabismus / Q000151:congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015348:Vision, Binocular