To compare the surgical outcome between V-pattern intermittent exotropia without inferior oblique overaction and comitant intermittent exotropia.

The authors of the present study investigated 15 patients (V-pattern group) who had standard horizontal surgery with half-tendon width vertical transposition and 36 patients (Comitant group) with unilateral rectus muscle recession/resection. Preoperative visual acuity, presence of amblyopia, abnormal head posture, stereoacuity, amount of exotropia, and duration of postoperative diplopia were recorded. Surgical success was defined as final alignment of orthophoria or less than 10 PD orthophoria.

The frequency of good stereoacuity with 80 sec of stereoacuity or more was higher in the V-pattern group (73.3%) than in the Comitant group (33.3%) (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.01). One case of V-pattern showed consecutive esotropia for 1 year postoperatively. Exotropia recurred in 2 patients in the V-pattern group (13.3%), and in 4 patients in the Comitant group (11.1%) 1 year postoperatively. Surgical success rates were statistically significant higher in the V-pattern group (86.7%) as compared to the Comitant group (58.3%) on final follow-up (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.04).

V-pattern exotropia patients without inferior oblique overaction who had standard horizontal surgery with half-tendon width vertical transposition showed a lower recurrence rate of exotropia than patients with comitant intermittent exotropia.