Silicone Band in the Surgical Treatment of Manifest Exotropia

Purpose: A silicone band was sutured anteriorly to the edge of the lateral rectus muscle neotendon during recession surgery in order to reduce and delay the reoccurrence after exotropia surgery. Methods: Collected data of 12 patients (8 males and 4 females), aged 7 - 54 years with diagnosis of constant manifest exotropia and mean angle deviation in primary position of 15,04o(sd 1,18) for near and of 13,23o (sd 0,71) for distance. All patients underwent surgical treatment consisting of lateral rectus recession and silicone band apposition in correspondence to the anterior edge of the lateral rectus muscle neotendon. Results: A substantial reduction of the mean angle deviation was observed in all patients after surgery. No adverse bandrelated effects were detected. Conclusion: The silicone band in the surgical treatment of manifest exotropia could be a valuable aid in delaying the relapse thanks to its physical and structural features and to its biocompatibility.