Orbital decompression does not affect outcome of rectus muscle recession surgery in patients with TED

Prior orbital decompression does not have a significant effect on the outcomes of rectus muscle recession surgery in patients with thyroid eye disease (TED), according to a study.

The research involved 55 eyes of 33 patients with restrictive strabismus caused by TED. The patient cohort was divided into 2 groups: the orbital decompression group (DG) comprising 15 patients who had previously undergone orbital decompression, and the non-orbital decompression group (NDG) of 18 patients who had not.

The findings found no significant disparities between the groups in terms of preoperative horizontal or vertical ocular deviation, degree of eye movement restriction, level of diplopia, or the average number of treated muscles (P > 0.05). No substantial differences were observed in preoperative ocular deviation, eye movement restriction, diplopia severity, or surgical success rate (P > 0.05).

The researchers concluded that rectus muscle recession surgery conducted during the quiescent phase of TED effectively ameliorated ocular deviation and diplopia. In addition, the study suggests that prior orbital decompression procedures had no discernible influence on the surgical technique or outcomes of rectus muscle recession surgery.

Reference
Hou X, Tu Y, Min X, Du K, Li F, Wang J, Wu X. The effect of previous orbital decompression on outcomes of rectus muscle recession surgery in patients with thyroid ophthalmopathy. J Fr Ophtalmol. 2023;S0181-5512(23)00362-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jfo.2023.01.045. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37775455.