Bupivacaine Injection to Treat Exotropia and Esotropia

Abstract

Purpose: To report the results of bupivacaine injection into the extraocular muscles to treat horizontal strabismus, both exotropia and esotropia.

Methods: Bupivacaine, 4.5 ml of a 0.50% solution, was injected into the medial rectus muscle in each of 14 exotropic patients and into the lateral rectus muscle in each of 6 esotropic patients with electromyographic control. The measures of alignment were made before the procedure and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after injection.

Results: Of 20 patients, 15 had improved ocular alignment with the average change of 8.46, 8.2, 8.33 and 9 prism diopters (PD) at 1,3, 6 and 12 months, respectively. Two of 5 (40%) incomitant strabismus patients and 13 of 15 (86.66%) comitant strabismus patients had improvement in ocular alignment. Eleven of 14 exotropic patient and 4 of 6 esotropic patients had improvement in ocular alignment, averaging 9.73, 9.36, 9.54 and 6 PD in the exotropic group and 5, 5, 5, and 10.5 PD in the esotropic group. There was no serious complication from the injections.

Conclusions: Bupivacaine injection improved ocular alignment in some patients. Denervated extraocular muscle did not respond well to bupivacaine. Bupivacaine improved ocular alignment equally in esotropic and exotropic patients.

KEYWORDS::

• bupivacaine
• esotropia
• exotropia
• strabismus

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Mai-ek Wutthiphan for his help in data analysis.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflict of interest.