title: Post-operative strabismus control and motor alignment for basic intermittent exotropia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess strabismus control and motor ocular alignment for basic exotropia surgery at 5y follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical records of 80 consecutive patients aged less than 17 years of age, who underwent surgery for basic exotropia by a single surgeon between years 2000 to 2009 and completed a minimum of 5y follow-up post-operatively were reviewed. Pre- and post-operative characteristics were documented at 1wk, 6mo, 1, 3 and 5y follow-up. Subjects at 5-year follow-up were assigned to the success group if they had a post-operative angle of deviation within 10 prism diopters of exotropia or within 5 prism diopters of esotropia for distance on prism cover test, and had moderate to good strabismus control. The remaining subjects were assigned to the failure group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Post-operative surgical success at one week was 75%, which decreased to 41% at 5y follow-up. The success group was noted to have more patching pre-operatively (P=0.003). The duration of patching a day (P=0.020) and total duration of patching pre-operatively (P=0.030) was higher in the success group. Surgical success at 1y (P=0.004) and 3y (P=0.002) were associated with higher surgical success at 5y follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Post-operative motor alignment and strabismus control for basic exotropia surgery at 1y and beyond is associated with higher exotropia surgery success at 5-year follow-up. There is an association between pre-operative patching and 5-year surgical success of basic intermittent exotropia surgery.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Singapore National Eye Centre, 11, Third Hospital Avenue 168751, Singapore.
authors: Fiona Lee Min
authors: FL
authors: Chew
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Singapore National Eye Centre, 11, Third Hospital Avenue 168751, Singapore.
authors: Bhambi Uellyn
authors: BU
authors: Gesite-de Leon
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Singapore National Eye Centre, 11, Third Hospital Avenue 168751, Singapore.
authors: Boon Long
authors: BL
authors: Quah
keywords: exotropia; intermittent exotropia; ocular motor alignment; patching; strabismus control; strabismus surgery