The Muscle Elongation Test in Functional Squints

Abstract

Work carried out by Cuppers has proved that squint deviations are related to the innervational and viscoelastic impairments of the ocular muscles, whose association and degree vary according to each case. The passive duction test is always positive in retraction syndromes, but it is not precise enough to detect most of the viscoelastic impairments of functional squints. The authors have noted important and frequent anomalies of muscle stretching; they describe the operative features of a muscle elongation test in various types of strabismic deviations.

Quantitative Study of Superior Oblique Paralysis Using a Synoptometer

“…Particularly interesting was the fact that in 3 of the cases with traumatic paralysis the deviation was nil, and 1 of the cases presented with paradoxical hypotropia in the paralyzed eye. This resulted in a very particular appearence of a truncated double pyramid [11] when subjected to the Lancaster test.…”

“…When the deviation is medium or large it is preferable to strengthen the supe rior oblique as a first step. Of course, if a truncated pyramid appearence has been ob served in the Lancaster test [11], this muscle should not be operated on. Indeed, in these cases, such an intervention may result in postoperative Brown's syndrome, which may be serious and irreversible.…”