Surgical management of unilateral restrictive strabismus in an 8-month-old dog

ABSTRACT

Case history

An 8-month-old male, entire, mixed-breed dog was presented with a 1-month history of left exophthalmos and green mucopurulent ocular discharge. Subsequently, exophthalmos resolved but esotropia (medial strabismus) developed in the left eye, prompting referral to an ophthalmologist.

Clinical findings

At the initial referral consultation, enophthalmos and esotropia of the left eye were identified. The patient showed mild improvement after a 3-week tapering course of oral prednisolone and doxycycline. MRI was performed and showed left medial rectus muscle atrophy with increased contrast enhancement which was consistent with chronic extraocular muscle myositis (EOM). A forced duction test was performed to confirm the diagnosis of fibrosing esotropia, which is likely a sequela of chronic EOM.

Diagnosis

Fibrosing esotropia presumably caused by untreated EOM.

Treatment and outcome

One month later, esotropia progressed to a marked ventro-medial strabismus resulting in visual deprivation. Surgical release of the ventral oblique, medial and ventral recti muscles was performed, resulting in immediate resolution of the enophthalmos. Despite a tapering post-operative course of oral prednisolone, mild esotropia was present 4 weeks later. In an effort to stabilise the globe position, the low dose of prednisolone was increased to a higher anti-inflammatory dose before slowly tapering over 2 months. The vision in the left eye was improved after surgery and has been maintained since without further treatment.

Clinical relevance

This is the first documented case of fibrosing esotropia in a young dog with prior signs of acute exophthalmos. Fibrosing esotropia has been documented in certain breeds or as a sequela to chronic EOM. In this patient, it was presumably caused by EOM, which was strongly supported by the case history, progression and MRI findings. Most historical reports of EOM described it as a bilateral condition that resolves with systemic corticosteroids at an anti-inflammatory dose. EOM has been shown to also present unilaterally and it can progress to strabismus if not promptly recognised and treated with systemic steroids. Surgical management can restore vision when severe strabismus results in visual deprivation.

KEYWORDS:

• Extraocular muscle myositis
• strabismus
• esotropia
• globe realignment
• dog
• ophthalmology

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Drs. Salih Eminaga, Jennifer Kan, Aisha Young and Christina McCowan for their contribution to the diagnostics and care of this patient.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).