Infantile esotropia with nystagmus: a treatable cause of oscillatory head movements in children.

OBJECTIVE To document the resolution of oscillatory head movements following surgical realignment of the eyes in children with infantile esotropia and nystagmus. METHOD Retrospective review of 3 children who had infantile esotropia, nystagmus, and unexplained head shaking or head nodding. RESULTS Strabismus surgery restored ocular alignment and produced resolution of the head shaking in all patients. In 1 patient, head shaking accompanied recurrence of the esotropia and again resolved following surgical realignment of the eyes. CONCLUSIONS Head shaking or head nodding can rarely be associated with infantile esotropia and nystagmus. In this syndrome, surgical realignment of the eyes may produce simultaneous resolution of the head oscillations.