The effect of strabismus surgery performed by preserving the anterior ciliary vessels on the choroid in pediatric patients

Abstract

Abstract Background: Horizontal strabismus surgery is one of the most common eye operations. Many studies have shown that strabismus surgery has an effect on choroidal thicknesses. This study aimed to evaluate choroidal changes after the anterior ciliary vessels (ACV) conservation surgery using Enhanced Depth Imaging-Optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). Methods: This study included 41 eyes of 26 pediatric patients that were diagnosed with esotropia and underwent surgery with the standard procedure and 38 eyes of 25 pediatric patients treated with ACV preservation. Preoperative and postoperative refraction error measurements, biomicroscopic examinations, intraocular pressure measurements, dilated fundus control, and strabismus examinations were performed, and the best corrected visual acuity was determined. The patients were operated on under general anesthesia by the same surgeon using two different procedures: the standard procedure (Group 1) and by preserving the ACV (Group 2). Using EDI-OCT, choroidal measurements were performed preoperatively, on postoperative week 1, month 1, and month 3. Results: The preoperative and postoperative choroidal thickness measurements of the patients in Group 1 decreased in all regions postoperatively (p<0.05) especially at week 1 and month 1, but approached the preoperative values at the third -month evaluations (p>0.05). In Group 2, there was no statistically significant difference in the choroidal measurements between the preoperative ​​and postoperative week 1, month 1, and month 3 values (p>0.05). Conclusions: ACV preservation is recommended to prevent choroidal changes occurring in the early period after horizontal strabismus surgery.