Congenital horizontal tarsal kink: clinical characteristics from a large series.

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical characteristics of congenital horizontal tarsal kink.

METHODS

Retrospective clinical series derived from a literature review and mail survey. Characteristics included sex, race, association with systemic diseases, interval between birth and diagnosis, laterality, presence of corneal ulcer and causative infectious agent, treatment, and visual outcome.

RESULTS

Twenty-five cases were reviewed. The typical patient is a white male diagnosed at 7.2 weeks of age. Right-sided and bilateral cases were most common. Ulcers were present in 12/24 patients; most were culture negative. Various methods of surgical repair were successful. Visual outcomes, in general, were favorable although amblyopia developed in 4/15 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Congenital horizontal tarsal kink is rare and its cause is unknown. A poor visual outcome usually results from a corneal ulcer scar and a delay in diagnosis. Amblyopia not related to corneal opacification can also occur.