[Paralytic strabismus: review of 24 years at "Santa Casa de São Paulo"].
OBJECTIVE
To describe the incidence, etiologies and follow-up of patients with paralytic strabismus.


METHODS
Retrospective study of 519 strabismic patients with isolated III, IV or VI cranial nerve palsy of 11,000 charts of the Ocular Motility Section of the Department of Ophthalmology of "Faculdade de Ciências Médicas Santa Casa de São Paulo", Brazil, between January 1980 and October 2004. This study analyzed: the injured cranial nerve, affected eye, sex distribution, etiology and follow-up.


RESULTS
It was found that 17.1% of the cases were congenital and 82.9% acquired. The VI cranial nerve was the most frequently affected (49.7%). The incidence was higher in males (58.1%). Traumatism was the most common cause of III (43.0%), IV (52.4%) and VI (48.8%) nerve palsy. Surgery was performed in the three groups: third nerve (42.9%), fourth nerve (73.2%) and sixth nerve (43.2%).


CONCLUSIONS
The sixth cranial nerve was the most frequently affected and the most common cause was traumatism, the same as observed in the literature.
de Camargo
Gustavo Bueno
GB
Departamento de Oftalmologia da Santa Casa de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Hida
Wilson Takashi
WT
Goldchmit
Mauro
M
Uesugui
Carlos Fumiaki
CF
de Souza-Dias
Carlos Ramos
CR
D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003391:Cranial Nerves; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009801:Oculomotor Muscles / Q000293:injuries / Q000294:innervation; D010243:Paralysis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013285:Strabismus / Q000151:congenital / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery