Short-Term Morpho-Functional Changes before and after Strabismus Surgery in Children Using Structural Optical Coherence Tomography: A Pilot Study

• Published in: Vision (Basel) Vol. 8; no. 2; p. 21
• Main Authors: Viggiano, Pasquale, Gaudiomonte, Marida, Procoli, Ugo, Micelli Ferrari, Luisa, Borrelli, Enrico, Boscia, Giacomo, Ferrara, Andrea, De Vitis, Fabio, Scalise, Gemma, Albano, Valeria, Alessio, Giovanni, Boscia, Francesco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 16-04-2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Acuity; Children; Health aspects; Horizontal cells; macular ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer; OCT; Patients; Pediatrics; Rectus muscle; Retina; Statistical analysis; Strabismus; Structure-function relationships; Surgery; Sutures; Tomography; Vision disorders in children; Visual acuity; Germany; strabismus; OCT; macular ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer
• ISSN: 2411-5150; 2411-5150
• DOI: 10.3390/vision8020021

To evaluate the immediate alterations in the thickness of the macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL), peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), inner retinal layer (IRL), and outer retinal layer (ORL) using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) subsequent to strabismus surgery in pediatric patients diagnosed with horizontal esotropia.
Twenty-eight eyes from twenty-one child patients who had undergone uncomplicated horizontal rectus muscle surgery due to strabismus were included. Measurements of RNFL, mGCL-IPL, IRL, and ORL using structural OCT were conducted both before the surgery and one month after the surgical procedure. Importantly, a control group comprising 14 healthy eyes, matched for age and significant refractive error (<3.00 diopters), was included in the current analysis.
Our analysis indicated no significant disparity before and after surgery in terms of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), RNFL, IRL, and ORL. Conversely, concerning the macular ganglion cell layer-inner plexiform layer analysis, a substantial increase in mGCL-IPL was observed following the surgical intervention. The mean mGCL-IPL measured 60.8 ± 9.2 μm at baseline and 66.1 ± 13.2 μm one month after the surgery (
= 0.026). Notably, comparison between the strabismus group at baseline and the healthy group revealed a significant reduction in mGCL-IPL in the strabismus group (60.8 ± 9.2) compared to the healthy control group (68.3 ± 7.2;
= 0.014).
Following strabismus surgery, our observations pointed towards a thickening of the mGCL-IPL layer, which is likely attributable to transient local inflammation. Additionally, we identified a significant differentiation in the mGCL-IPL complex between the pediatric patient group with strabismus and the control group.