Anterior transposition of the inferior oblique muscle as the initial treatment of a snapped inferior rectus muscle.

Snapping or tearing of an extraocular muscle refers to its rupture across its width, usually at the junction between muscle and tendon several millimeters behind the insertion. Tearing occurs during strabismus or retinal reattachment surgery, or after trauma. If the proximal end of the muscle cannot be located, transposition procedures are necessary to achieve ocular realignment. These surgical procedures carry the risk of anterior segment ischemia, especially in the elderly. Anterior transposition of the inferior oblique muscle has been used for the treatment of inferior oblique overaction, especially in the presence of a dissociated vertical deviation, and in patients with fourth nerve palsy. We transposed the inferior oblique muscle insertion in a 73-year-old woman with a snapped inferior rectus muscle.