Subperiosteal Orbital Hematoma: A Rare Clinical Manifestation of Sickle Cell Disease - A Case Report.

Sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited vaso-occlusive disorder, results in recurrent painful episodes and a variety of serious systemic complications that can lead to severe disabilities and even death. Here, we report a case of a 19-year-old African American patient with homozygous sickle cell trait who presented with right upper lid edema and ptosis, 3 days after his admission to the hospital following a sickle cell crisis. Initially, mistaken as a superinfection in the context of his disease, a diagnosis of orbital abscess was made. Intravenous antibiotics and a proper treatment plan were set accordingly. Only after extensive clinical and radiological examinations, it turned out to be an acute subperiosteal orbital hematoma, a rare clinical manifestation of SCD. The aim of our case report was to highlight the difference in orbital presentation between osteomyelitis and subperiosteal hematoma, as well as spreading awareness among medical professionals and especially ophthalmologists for this rare presentation of orbital wall infarction, as the initial differential diagnosis of SCD patients with ocular involvement.

Globe Rupture Secondary to a Spontaneous Suprachoroidal Hemorrhage in a Blind Glaucomatous Eye: A Case Report.

Purpose: To report a rare case of globe rupture following a spontaneous expulsive suprachoroidal hemorrhage without a predisposing event. Methods: Case report. Results: A 40-year-old man presented with a 3-week history of episodic eye pain, likely associated with uncontrolled glaucoma, and a spontaneous clot exuding from his right eye without a predisposing event. Notably, the patient had a remote past ocular history of posttraumatic glaucoma and untreated retinal detachment from childhood. He underwent uncomplicated evisceration of the right eye with polymethyl methacrylate implantation. Conclusions: Spontaneous expulsive suprachoroidal hemorrhage without a predisposing event is an exceedingly rare phenomenon, with only six previously reported cases. It is possible that eyes with a history of trauma, possibly diseased eyewalls, and eyes with high intraocular pressure may be the most susceptible to spontaneous suprachoroidal hemorrhage and consequent globe rupture.

Acute Bilateral Fixed Mydriasis Caused by Lupini Bean Intoxication.

Lupini beans are legume seeds of the genus Lupinus, consumed in many parts of the world. The main species are Lupinus mutabilis, Lupius angustifolius, and Lupinus albus. The latter is commonly eaten as a snack in Mediterranean countries. The beans are very rich in alkaloids, which give them a bitter taste. One of these alkaloids was shown to cause anticholinergic effects. Lupini beans, if improperly prepared, can cause toxicity manifesting as an anticholinergic syndrome. We present the case of a 50-y-old woman who presented with bilateral mydriasis, mouth dryness, and anxiety. We confirmed that the patient consumed partially debittered lupini beans a few hours before presentation. The rest of her physical and ophthalmic examination results were within normal limits. Her symptoms resolved without therapy within 12 h from presentation and were attributed to ingestion of incorrectly prepared lupine seeds.

Safety, Efficacy, and Predictive Factors of Conventional Epithelium-Off Corneal Crosslinking in the Treatment of Progressive Keratoconus.

PURPOSE: To report predictive factors of outcome of conventional epithelium-off corneal crosslinking (CXL) in the treatment of progressive keratoconus. METHODS: This is a monocentric observational retrospective study conducted at Eye and Ear International Hospital, Lebanon. All patients with progressive keratoconus who underwent CXL between January 2008 and January 2016, with minimal 3-years follow-up were included. Primary treatment outcomes were maximum keratometry (K max), best-corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), and failure. Failure was defined as an increase of 1.00 diopters (D) or more in K max and/or an increase of 0.1 logMAR or more in CDVA and conversion to corneal transplantation. Statistical analysis was done to identify predictors of treatment success. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the correlations between baseline parameters and outcomes, and an equation for predicting K max and CDVA was created. RESULTS: 156 eyes of 102 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 23.85 ± 6.52 years. Failure occurred in 31 eyes (19.87%). Gender and thinnest pachymetry did not have any impact on postoperative outcomes. Concerning the CDVA outcome, multivariate analysis showed that a better preoperative CDVA was associated with higher improvement in CDVA, and higher baseline K max and higher posterior mean K were associated with a worse outcome CDVA. Regarding postoperative K max, a higher baseline K max, a worse baseline CDVA, and a younger age were associated with less flattening postoperatively. CONCLUSION: CXL is a safe and effective method in treating progressive keratoconus. However, the clinical benefits can differ among patients, and in our series, a nonnegligible number of cases show a continued progression of their ectasia. Further studies to identify predictors of postoperative progression prior to the procedure could help sort out good responders to treatment.

Ductal stenting to improve pulmonary blood flow in pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and critical pulmonary stenosis after balloon valvuloplasty.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility, safety, and efficiency of ductal stenting in pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum or critical pulmonary stenosis after balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty. BACKGROUND: Ductal stenting in pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum is a re-emerging and promising technique. There is little data available on its outcomes after establishing prograde pulmonary blood flow. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all neonates with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum or critical pulmonary stenosis who underwent ductal stenting after balloon valvuloplasty. Ductal stenting was performed either in the same setting (group A) or a few days later after balloon valvuloplasty (group B). We compared the two groups. RESULTS: Eighteen coronary stents were transvenously delivered and successfully deployed in 18 newborns. There was no procedure-related mortality. The median hospital stay post-intervention was 6 days with a mean discharge oxygen saturation of 94%. Group A had a shorter overall hospital stay with a shorter overall time of irradiation but with a longer overall procedural time. On a follow-up of 18 months, no re-intervention for stent failure or overflow was undertaken. The median stent patency based on echocardiography was 12 months. CONCLUSION: Stenting the arterial duct in pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum or critical pulmonary stenosis is a feasible, safe, and efficient technique. It avoids surgery or long hospital stay with prostaglandin infusion. The minimal 6 months stent longevity provides a period of time long enough to decide whether the right ventricular diastolic function is normalised or Glenn surgery is still needed.

Catheter closure of a recanalized vertical vein after repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection.

The vertical vein is sometimes left open in repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. It usually closes later but can remain patent leading to a significant shunt. We describe a recanalized vertical vein in a 7-year-old having undergone repair in infancy. It was closed using an Amplatzer device.

International normalized ratio self-testing and self-management: improving patient outcomes.

Long term oral anti-coagulation with vitamin K antagonists is a risk factor of hemorrhagic or thromebomlic complications. Periodic laboratory testing of international normalized ratio (INR) and a subsequent dose adjustment are therefore mandatory. The use of home testing devices to measure INR has been suggested as a potential way to improve the comfort and compliance of the patients and their families, the frequency of monitoring and, finally, the management and safety of long-term oral anticoagulation. In pediatric patients, increased doses to obtain and maintain the therapeutic target INR, more frequent adjustments and INR testing, multiple medication, inconstant nutritional intake, difficult venepunctures, and the need to go to the laboratory for testing (interruption of school and parents' work attendance) highlight those difficulties. After reviewing the most relevant published studies of self-testing and self-management of INR for adult patients and children on oral anticoagulation, it seems that these are valuable and effective strategies of INR control. Despite an unclear relationship between INR control and clinical effects, these self-strategies provide a better control of the anticoagulant effect, improve patients and their family quality of life, and are an appealing solution in term of cost-effectiveness. Structured education and knowledge evaluation by trained health care professionals is required for children, to be able to adjust their dose treatment safely and accurately. However, further data are necessary in order to best define those patients who might better benefit from this multidisciplinary approach.