Purpose: To report a case in which strabismus surgery did not eliminate the abnormal head posture although it did improve the vertical strabismus; and to consider the causes of this situation.
Case report: The patient had a right eso-hypertropia and ocular torticollis to the left shoulder as a result of a right superior oblique mechanical deficiency, secondary to her craniosynostosis. A myectomy of the right inferior oblique muscle and a tucking procedure of the right superior oblique muscle were performed. Postoperatively, the abnormal head posture persisted, although strabismus surgery improved the vertical deviation. However, improvement of the abnormal head posture upon patching the deviated eye only indicated that the origin of the persistent abnormal head posture must be ocular. Further tests revealed that an anomalous retinal correspondence (ARC) with eccentric fixation was responsible.
Conclusions: In patients with ocular torticollis, ARC with eccentric fixation must be ruled out prior to surgery as these may negatively affect the outcome.