Strabismus surgery outcome among children and young adults with Down syndrome.

PURPOSE

To evaluate postoperative alignment after strabismus surgery in children with Down syndrome.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of 15 consecutive cases of children with Down syndrome who underwent surgery for strabismus between 1990 and 2008. Follow-up was at least 6 months (range, 0.5-16 years).

RESULTS

All children underwent surgery for esotropia. The mean preoperative angle of deviation was 37.6Delta. Of the 15 children, 14 underwent surgical procedure for strabismus according to standard surgical tables. Surgical success (within 10Delta of orthophoria) was achieved in 12 of 14 children (85.7%). The remaining 2 children (14.3%) had residual esotropia.

CONCLUSIONS

Good surgical motor outcomes were achieved in children with Down syndrome after strabismus surgery following standard surgical tables. The tendency toward overcorrection reported in children with central nervous system disorders was not observed in our study. We suggest use of the same surgical calculations as used in children with normal development when treating children with Down syndrome and esotropia.