AIM: To investigate the clinical characteristics and surgical effects in patients with Duane retraction syndrome(DRS).

METHODS: Totally 13 patients with DRS during June 2011 to December 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. The data including clinical types and manifestations, surgical methods and outcomes were reviewed and analyzed.

RESULTS: There were 11 male cases and 2 female cases who all had no ocular and systemic anomalies. The left eye was involved in 9 cases, the right eye was involved in 3 cases and 1 case involved in both eyes. Six cases were type Ⅰ,1 case was typeⅡand 6 cases were type Ⅲ. Eleven cases had abnormal head posture(AHP), 9 cases had the up- or down-shoot phenomenon. The surgical treatment was designed according to subtypes and clinical features which included medial rectus recession, lateral rectus recession, recession of both horizontal rectus muscles and lateral rectus recession combined with Y splitting. After surgery, horizontal deviation was less than ±10^△ in all patients, and AHP disappeared in 4 cases and improved in 7 cases. The up- or down-shoot and global retraction disappeared in 5 cases and improved in 4 cases. Simultaneously, the restriction of ocular motility was improved in all patients.

CONCLUSION: The clinical features of DRS are variant in different types. Detailed examination before surgery and reasonable surgical design are important in treatment of patients with DRS.