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Surgical procedure a valuable treatment option for patients with superior oblique myokymia
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The reverse Harada-Ito surgical procedure appears to be a viable treatment for patients suffering from superior oblique myokymia, according to a poster presentation here at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting.
In this study, Thu Pham, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute, sought to measure the long-term outcome of the reverse Harada-Ito procedure.
Dr. Pham studied medical records of 16 patients diagnosed with superior oblique myokymia — a movement disorder causing patients to experience oscillopsia or vertical or torsional diplopia — who underwent surgery utilizing the reverse Harada-Ito procedure between 1992 and 2007.
These patients, three men and 13 women, mean age of onset 40 years, were contacted regarding symptom frequency and change compared with their preoperative symptoms. Follow-up included 11 of the 16 patients, with an average gap of 6.4 years between surgery and follow-up.
Overall, eight out of 11 patients reported at least 50% improvement in symptoms at time of follow-up, with four of those eight reporting 100% improvement, and no patients reporting a worsening of symptoms.
Dr. Pham concluded that for patients diagnosed with superior oblique myokymia, which typically responds poorly to medical therapy, the Harada-Ito surgical procedure offers a promising treatment option.