Anterior Nasal Superior Oblique Tendon Syndrome: A Case Series.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and management of patients with an anteriorly and nasally inserted superior oblique tendon. DESIGN: Retrospective interventional case series. METHODS: Institutional clinical records between 2020 and 2024 were retrospectively reviewed for 9 consecutive patients in whom the superior oblique (SO) tendon was inserted anterior to the equator and nasal to the superior rectus muscle. Information collected included age, sex, ocular and surgical history, preoperative and postoperative data (ophthalmologic examinations, strabismus measurements, ductions and versions), intraoperative findings, need for additional surgery, and follow-up time. RESULTS: All nine patients were found to have an anomalous insertion of the SO tendon. Three were of congenital origin and six were acquired following ocular surgery. Among the acquired cases, all but one resulted from incarceration of the tendon from postsurgical scar tissue formation. The remaining acquired case was due to a prior deliberate anterior and nasal transposition of the superior oblique. This case series demonstrated varying degrees of vertical deviation, lateral incomitance, and limited depression. Repositioning the SO to its normal insertion site yielded equivocal improvement in ocular alignment. CONCLUSION: Anterior nasal superior oblique tendon syndrome is a rare clinical entity characterized by an antidepressor effect. Vertical deviations, hypertropia worse in downgaze, limited depression worse in adduction for congenital cases and in abduction for acquired cases, and lateral incomitance may be indicative of this anomaly. In acquired cases following surgery, additional findings may include limited depression worse in abduction, esotropia in abduction, V-pattern esotropia, and enophthalmos in downgaze. Surgical repositioning of the SO along its normal anatomical trajectory is recommended for treatment. However, outcomes may be variable and achieving a complete resolution of this syndrome can be challenging.

Post-traumatic superior oblique tendon nodule associated with acquired Brown syndrome.

A 67-year-old woman presented with a left hypotropia and eye pain after a traumatic fall. She had multiple left orbital wall fractures and an acquired limitation to elevation in all gazes, worse in adduction, suggestive of Brown syndrome. During strabismus surgery, a white nodule on the superior oblique tendon was identified and excised. Histopathology of the nodule revealed densely aggregated inflamed fibrovascular and fibrocollagenous scar tissue. Superior oblique rupture with spontaneous reparative reapproximation resulting in nodular formation is uncommon. We speculate that resulting tendon shortening may have contributed to the apparent Brown syndrome in this patient.

Positive predictive value and screening performance of GoCheck Kids in a primary care university clinic.

PURPOSE: To determine the positive predictive value (PPV) of GoCheck Kids, a smartphone-based photoscreener, to detect refractive amblyopia risk factors (ARFs) in children 3-48 months of age. METHODS: The medical records of all children ≤48 months of age who failed GoCheck Kids photoscreening at a University of California, San Francisco, pediatric clinic between February 2017 and August 2018 and subsequently examined at the pediatric ophthalmology clinic were reviewed retrospectively. The PPV of GoCheck Kids was determined, where a true positive represents an abnormal cycloplegic refractive error according to the 2013 American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Vision Screening Committee criteria. For patients ≤12 months of age, refractive error thresholds were based on the 2017 American Academy of Ophthalmology Preferred Practice Patterns Pediatric Eye Evaluation guidelines. RESULTS: A total of 2,963 children were screened with GoCheck Kids. Of these, 172 (5.8%) failed the screening, of whom 115 (67%) were evaluated in the pediatric ophthalmology clinic. The mean age was 24.9 ± 11.1months (range, 3-48). Fifty-seven patients met ARF criteria yielding a PPV of 50% (95% CI, 41%-60%). The PPV was higher in patients of Latino/hispanic ethnicity (75%; 95% CI, 57%-100%; P < 0.01) and changed significantly with increasing age (P = 0.03). Patients who were screened between age 3-12 months had the lowest PPV at 26% (95% CI, 14%-47%). CONCLUSIONS: Modifying refractive error thresholds based on patient age and prevalence of ARFs in a population may improve the PPV of GoCheck Kids in a community-based screening program.

Recurrent Superior Oblique Myokymia Treated by Distal Tendon Extirpation.

BACKGROUND: We describe successful surgical treatment of superior oblique myokymia, which had recurred after superior oblique tenectomy. METHODS: Single case report. RESULTS: The distal stump of the superior oblique tendon was extirpated by stripping it from the globe. The ipsilateral superior rectus muscle also was recessed, to correct a hypertropia that had resulted from the original superior oblique tenectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Complete removal of the distal superior oblique muscle tendon provided definitive relief of superior oblique myokymia. Superior rectus muscle recession, combined with previous inferior oblique myectomy, compensated effectively for loss of superior oblique function.