Clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes in patients with superior oblique muscle palsy: a retrospective study on 1057 patients

BMC Ophthalmol. 2024 Jun 12;24(1):249. doi: 10.1186/s12886-024-03514-6.

Abstract

Background: To evaluate the clinical findings of patients with SOP who underwent surgery.

Methods: This historical cohort study was performed on 1057 SOP patients managed with surgery in Farabi Hospital, Iran, from 2011 to 2022.

Results: There were 990 (93.7%) patients with unilateral SOP with the mean age of 21.8 ± 14.8 years. Of these, 715 patients (72.2%) were diagnosed with congenital SOP, and 275 patients (27.8%) had acquired SOP (P < 0.001). In contrast, 67 (6.3%) patients were diagnosed with bilateral SOP, with the mean age of 19.4 ± 15.6 years. Among these, 18 cases exhibited the masked type. The mean angle of vertical deviation in primary position at far in unilateral and bilateral cases was 15.6 ± 8.3 and 13.3 ± 9.1 △, respectively (P < 0.001). In unilateral cases, abnormal head posture (AHP) was detected in 847 (85.5%) patients and 12 (1.2%) had paradoxical AHP. Amblyopia was found in 89 (9.9%) unilateral and 7 (10.3%) bilateral cases. Solitary inferior oblique myectomy, was the most common surgery in both unilateral (n = 756, 77.1%) and bilateral (n = 35, 52.2%) patients. The second surgery was performed for 84 (8.6%) unilateral and 33 (49.3%) bilateral cases (P < 0.001). The prevalence of amblyopia and the mean angle of horizontal deviation were significantly higher in patients who needed more than one surgery (all P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Congenital SOP was more than twice as frequent as acquired SOP and about 90% of unilateral and 50% of bilateral cases were managed with one surgery. Amblyopia and significant horizontal deviation were the most important factors for reoperation.

Trial registration: The Institutional Review Board approval was obtained from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (IR.TUMS.FNM.REC.1400.012) and this study adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki and HIPAA.

Keywords: Abnormal head posture; Clinical characteristics; Strabismus; Superior oblique palsy.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Iran / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Oculomotor Muscles* / physiopathology
  • Oculomotor Muscles* / surgery
  • Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures* / methods
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Strabismus / physiopathology
  • Strabismus / surgery
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Trochlear Nerve Diseases / congenital
  • Trochlear Nerve Diseases / physiopathology
  • Trochlear Nerve Diseases / surgery
  • Vision, Binocular / physiology
  • Young Adult