[Surgical treatment of strabismus by sagittal cutting of the oblique muscles. Apropos of 449 cases].

The theoretical proposals and the therapeutic approach described at the beginning of the sixties by Gobin concerning the treatment of incomitant strabismus have had such positive results as to convince many surgeons to adopt this methodology. The principal merit of Gobin's technique lies in evaluation of all aspects of the strabismus (horizontal, vertical and oblique) searching for the obstacles to ocular movements which cause alteration of binocular vision and removing them. According to the above criteria, we have operated 449 cases of incomitant strabismus due to sagittalization of the oblique muscles. The validity of this technique has been demonstrated by the results obtained in a single operation (a success rate of over 50%). With a second operation the success rate was increased to 70% (orthophoria, heterophoria and esthetic angle < 7 degrees).