Adjustable suture strabismus surgery.

We examined 333 patients between the ages of 11 and 70 years who underwent strabismus surgery with adjustable sutures over a ten-year period. The type of strabismus, the number and amount of adjustments, the postoperative drift, and complications were evaluated. A large percentage of patients required adjustment to obtain the desired postoperative position. The postoperative drift patterns were characteristic for each type of preoperative deviation and were similar to that reported for nonadjustable procedures. Adjustable suture techniques were especially helpful in selected horizontal deviations, vertical deviations, and the more complex strabismus problems. The complications from adjustable suture operations in this series were minimal.