Tying the knot. Is it always necessary?

Securing the final muscle position during adjustable-suture strabismus surgery is usually accomplished by tying the sutures in a knot in the early postoperative period. Even patients who have satisfactory ocular alignment without adjustment require manipulation of inflamed ocular tissues to secure the muscle. In our experience, approximately half of these cases are not adjusted. We have devised a technique in which postoperative knot tying is required only in those patients who actually undergo adjustment. In our series of 42 patients who underwent adjustable-suture surgery, 22 cases were not adjusted and 30 cases were left untied. No instances of muscle slippage occurred. We believe this reduction in postoperative manipulation represents an improvement in adjustable-suture strabismus surgery.