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Tension strength monitor improves superior oblique surgery
SAN FRANCISCO — A modified Bishop tendon tucker helps identify the relative laxity of the superior oblique muscle during tendon tuck surgery, according to a presenter here.
Richard A. Saunders, MD, delivered the Frank D. Costenbader Lecture during the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus meeting. Dr. Saunders noted the difficulty and controversy associated with the superior oblique tendon tuck procedure.
A successful outcome relies on knowing the laxity of the superior oblique tendon and the amount of tuck needed. "There is a fine line between too little and too much tuck, and too much tuck is big trouble," he said.
Dr. Saunders and colleagues created a modified Bishop tuck device that can intraoperatively measure the tension of the tendon to help indicate how much tuck is needed and how tightly to suture the tendon to achieve the desired amount of tension, as opposed to relying on forced ductions.