[Influence of general anaesthesia on the position of the eyes during surgery of strabismus (author's transl)].

The position of the eyes during anaesthesia can help the diagnosis of mechanism of esotropia. 211 patients between 2 and 8 years old are planed for surgery of esotropia. They are anaesthetized with halothane. When surgical level of anaesthesia is obtained, the position of the eyes is looked for and thereafter the lateral rectus muscle of the eye is stretched for evaluation of its lengthening capacity. The results show that the correction of esotropia during anaesthesia is obtained in 46,4 p. cent of the cases. When esotrpia is corrected by anaesthesia, the stretching of the lateral rectus muscle is normal in 91 p. cent of the cases. So the position of the eyes during anaesthesia can let us to presume that anatomical anomaly of the muscle is absent and that a spasm of the muscle is involved.