The Effectiveness and Long-Term Outcome of Conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy With Frosted Jones Tubes.

PURPOSE: To describe success rates and long-term outcomes of conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy (CDCR) with frosted Jones tubes (FJT) for epiphora with proximal outflow obstruction. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of all patients undergoing external and endoscopic CDCR with FJTs by one author (RAD) was performed between January 1, 2006 and November 1, 2014 at the Casey Eye Institute. Patient demographics, etiology of tearing, concurrent endonasal and eyelid procedures, and FJT size were recorded. After CDCR, follow-up time, tube size changes, tube position, and tearing status were noted. Exclusion criteria included follow up less than 6 months and/or prior CDCR. The study was IRB approved, HIPAA compliant, and adherent to the declaration of Helsinki. RESULTS: Forty-two eyes of 31 patients met the inclusion criteria, with the majority having epiphora from canalicular obstruction (31%) or flaccid canaliculi (31%). Average follow up was 1,088 days. Forty of 42 eyes, or 30 of 31 patients, had complete resolution of tearing after surgery. Twenty of 42 eyes required tube size changes, usually an increase in collar size (45%) and/or decrease in tube length (55%). Six of 42 FJTs were lost, one migrating outward, with an average time to loss between 61 and 1,122 days (mean 817 days). After collars larger than 4 mm became available, only one tube was lost. All epiphora resolved after repeat CDCR. The most common complication was intermittent irritation (17%) near the FJT that resolved after antibiotic-steroid drops and/or tube replacement/cleaning. CONCLUSION: CDCR with FJTs is highly effective in correcting epiphora, and well tolerated by the majority.

Bacterial Biofilms in Jones Tubes.

PURPOSE: To investigate the presence and microbiology of bacterial biofilms on Jones tubes (JTs) by direct visualization with scanning electron microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of representative JTs, and to correlate these findings with inflammation and/or infection related to the JT. METHODS: In this study, prospective case series were performed. JTs were recovered from consecutive patients presenting to clinic for routine cleaning or recurrent irritation/infection. Four tubes were processed for scanning electron microscopy alone to visualize evidence of biofilms. Two tubes underwent PCR alone for bacterial quantification. One tube was divided in half and sent for scanning electron microscopy and PCR. Symptoms related to the JTs were recorded at the time of recovery. RESULTS: Seven tubes were obtained. Five underwent SEM, and 3 out of 5 showed evidence of biofilms (60%). Two of the 3 biofilms demonstrated cocci and the third revealed rods. Three tubes underwent PCR. The predominant bacteria identified were Pseudomonadales (39%), Pseudomonas (16%), and Staphylococcus (14%). Three of the 7 patients (43%) reported irritation and discharge at presentation. Two symptomatic patients, whose tubes were imaged only, revealed biofilms. The third symptomatic patient's tube underwent PCR only, showing predominantly Staphylococcus (56%) and Haemophilus (36%) species. Two of the 4 asymptomatic patients also showed biofilms. All symptomatic patients improved rapidly after tube exchange and steroid antibiotic drops. CONCLUSIONS: Bacterial biofilms were variably present on JTs, and did not always correlate with patients' symptoms. Nevertheless, routine JT cleaning is recommended to treat and possibly prevent inflammation caused by biofilms.

Predictability of Optic Foramen Location From a Ray Through the Ethmoidal Foramina.

PURPOSE: To determine how accurately a ray through the anterior and posterior ethmoidal foramina predicts the location of the optic foramen. METHODS: Dried, well-preserved, complete human skulls without bony defects belonging to the Hamann-Todd osteological collection of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History were examined. Photography was performed and a ray was drawn on orbit photographs extending through the center of the anterior and posterior ethmoidal foramina toward the optic canal. The location of the ray at the anterior aspect of the optic canal was recorded. RESULTS: Sixty-six total orbits were examined from 36 skulls with 6 skulls with only unilateral data. Thirty-eight orbits were of African descent and 28 were of European descent with an average age 45.25 years (range = 19-89 years). The anterior-posterior ethmoidal foramen ray extended superior (12/66), through (53/66), and inferior (1/66) to the optic canal. Of those rays passing through the optic canal, 32/53 (60%) passed through the upper one-third, 19/53 (36%) passed through the middle one-third, and 2/53 (4%) passed through the lower one-third of the optic canal. CONCLUSIONS: The anterior-posterior ethmoidal foramen ray highly predicts the superior aspect of the optic canal. This information can guide medial orbital wall surgery.

Porcine dermal collagen in lower eyelid retraction repair.

PURPOSE: To describe clinical outcomes of patients receiving porcine dermal matrix implants for lower eyelid retraction repair. METHODS: A retrospective review of all patients who underwent lower eyelid retraction repair with porcine dermal matrix implantation between June 2007 and July 2013 at a tertiary care center was conducted. Patient demographics, procedure(s) performed, preoperative and postoperative marginal reflex distance, inferior scleral show, and complications were reviewed. Patients with a prior history of lower eyelid surgery were excluded. The study is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant, institutional review board approved, and adherent to the Declaration of Helsinki. RESULTS: One hundred patients (160 eyelids) received porcine dermal collagen implants. Fifty-six patients had thyroid eye disease, 23 had midface descent, 10 had seventh nerve palsies, and 11 had other etiologies of retraction. The average preoperative marginal reflex distance was 7.64 mm in the OD and 7.17 mm in the OS, compared with 6.40 mm in the OD and 6.22 mm in the OS postoperatively. The average preoperative inferior scleral show was 2.04 in the OD and 1.70 in the OS compared with 0.81 mm in the OD and 0.65 mm in the OS postoperatively. Follow up ranged from 1.46 to 66.04 months, with an average of 14.06 months and median of 8.84 months. Nineteen eyelids had implant-related complications: 7 with cyst formation, 7 with exposure/rejection, 2 with long-term pain, 2 with transient inflammation, and 3 with irregular implant contour. CONCLUSIONS: Porcine dermal matrix implants provide reliable support, integration, and function in lower eyelid retraction repair without significant resorption or complications in the majority of patients.

Treatment modalities of thyroid related orbitopathy.

AIMS: The aim was to highlight recent advances in the treatment of thyroid eye disease. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Review article. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Existing literature and the authors' experience was reviewed. RESULTS: Thyroid ophthalmopathy is a disfiguring and vision-threatening complication of autoimmune thyroid disease that may develop or persist even in the setting of well-controlled systemic thyroid status. Treatment response can be difficult to predict, and optimized algorithms for disease management do not exist. Thyroid ophthalmopathy should be graded for both severity and disease activity before choosing a treatment modality for each patient. The severity of the disease may not correlate directly with the activity; medical treatment is most effective in active disease, and surgery is usually reserved for quiescent disease with persistent proptosis and/or eyelid changes. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous pulsed corticosteroids, orbital radiotherapy, and orbital surgical techniques form the mainstay of current management of thyroid ophthalmopathy. Immunosuppressive and biologic agents may have a role in treating active disease although additional safety and efficacy studies are needed.

Hepatitis C as a prognostic indicator among noncirrhotic patients hospitalized with alcoholic hepatitis.

OBJECTIVE: A nationwide analysis of alcoholic hepatitis (AH) admissions was conducted to determine the impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on short-term survival and hospital resource utilization. METHODS: Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, noncirrhotic patients admitted with AH throughout the United States between 1998 and 2006 were identified with diagnostic codes from the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision. The in-hospital mortality rate (primary end point) of AH patients with and without co-existent HCV infection was determined. Hospital resource utilization was assessed as a secondary end point through linear regression analysis. RESULTS: From 1998 to 2006, there were 112,351 admissions for AH. In-hospital mortality was higher among patients with coexistent HCV infection (41.1% versus 3.2%; P=0.07). The adjusted odds of in-hospital mortality in the presence of HCV was 1.48 (95% CI 1.10 to 1.98). Noncirrhotic patients with AH and HCV also had longer length of stay (5.8 days versus 5.3 days; P<0.007) as well as greater hospital charges (US$25,990 versus US$21,030; P=0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: Among noncirrhotic patients admitted with AH, HCV infection was associated with higher in-hospital mortality and resource utilization.

Very late-onset corneal scar triggered by trauma after photorefractive keratectomy.

A 54-year-old woman who had photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) more than 10 years earlier presented with a history of being hit in the eye by a tree branch and developing blurred vision a short time later. The corrected visual acuity was 20/100 with localized grade 3 stromal haze. The haze intensified despite initial response to corticosteroids and cyclosporine, and treatment with phototherapeutic keratectomy and 0.02% mitomycin-C (MMC) was effective in restoring corneal clarity and normal vision. Late-onset stromal scar can be triggered by trauma years after PRK. Phototherapeutic keratectomy with MMC can be an effective treatment for late-onset scar. Persistent haze or scar after trauma if PRK had not been performed previously is exceedingly rare.

Cardiac sarcoidosis: recurrent disease in a heart transplant patient following pulmonary tuberculosis infection.

Cardiac transplantation is indicated for patients with end-stage cardiomyopathy secondary to cardiac sarcoidosis. Although rare, recurrent disease has been reported in two cases. The current report presents a case of recurrent cardiac sarcoidosis in a patient 45 months postorthotopic heart transplantation and 40 months following reactivation of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. The patient was the first to have recurrent disease following an infection that has been proposed to be involved in its pathogenesis. The patient's interval between transplant and recurrence is the longest reported to date.

Recurrent cardiac amyloidosis following previous heart transplantation.

Recurrent cardiac amyloidosis has been reported in the literature. We present two cases, one at 41 months after heart transplant and autologous stem cell transplant, and the other, at 83 months following heart transplantation. The former is the first case ever reported of a patient with amyloid light chain amyloidosis with systemic recurrence following these two treatment modalities, and the latter is a patient with hereditary amyloidosis, whose interval to disease recurrence is the longest ever reported for this type.

Vasculitides of the gastrointestinal tract.

Systemic vasculitis is often not considered as a possible diagnosis by clinicians because of its low prevalence compared with other more common diseases. Vasculitis can affect any end organ, and it is therefore often missed early on in disease progression. Gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations of vasculitis are considered rare and the presentation is often nonspecific. However, if there is significant involvement of the major vessels of the gastrointestinal system, life-threatening sequelae, including perforation and bowel ischemia, may occur. This makes early and immediate management crucial to improve long-term morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis of various GI vasculitides often relies on correlation of clinical manifestations with pathology and additional investigations. This paper reviews the various vasculitides that affect the GI tract, including systemic lupus erythematosus, mixed connective tissue disease, Henoch Schönlein purpura, polyarteritis nodosa, Churg-Strauss syndrome, Wegener's granulomatosis, microscopic polyangiitis, enterocolic lymphocytic phlebitis, and Behcet's disease. Segmental arterial mediolysis, mistakenly believed to be a vasculitis, is also discussed.

Anisometropic amblyopia and nasolacrimal duct obstruction.

The authors describe five children with nasolacrimal duct obstruction who developed anisometropic amblyopia in the same eye. Because three children had no indication of vision loss at their initial presentation, cycloplegic refraction and periodic visual acuity screenings for such patients is recommended.

Do clinical diagnoses correlate with pathological diagnoses in cardiac transplant patients? The importance of endomyocardial biopsy.

BACKGROUND: Heart transplantation remains the last treatment option for patients with end-stage cardiac disease. Such diseases include ischemic cardiomyopathy, nonischemic cardiomyopathy and other conditions such as arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, cardiac sarcoidosis and cardiac amyloidosis. OBJECTIVE: To review the changes that have occurred over time in the etiology of heart disease in patients requiring heart transplantation, and to compare the clinical and histological diagnoses of explanted hearts from patients with progressive cardiac disease. METHODS: The pathological findings of 296 surgically excised hearts over a 20-year period (January 1987 to July 2006) at one institution were examined. Patients were separated into groups based on year of heart transplantation. The tissue was examined to determine the underlying cardiac pathology leading to congestive heart failure. Patient records were reviewed for preoperative clinical diagnoses and other relevant data, including pretransplant endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) results, information regarding left ventricular assist devices and, finally, evidence of disease recurrence in the grafted heart. RESULTS: A shift in the underlying etiology was found in patients who underwent heart transplantation from 1992 to 1996, and 1997 to 2001. Between 1987 and 1997, the majority of transplant cases consisted of ischemic cardiomyopathies. From 1997 to 2001, the majority of patients had nonischemic cardiomyopathies, and this trend continued to 2006. A majority of patients with ischemic and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy were diagnosed correctly (96.5% and 82%, respectively) before transplantation. Most patients diagnosed post-transplant with lymphocytic (viral, 15%), hypersensitive/ eosinophilic (25%) and giant cell (100%) myocarditis, arrhythmogenic right ventricle dysplasia (100%), cardiac sarcoidosis (83%) and iron overload toxicity- associated cardiomyopathy (100%) had been misdiagnosed in pretransplantation investigations. Investigations before transplantation did not include an EMB. Of all 296 patients, 51 patients (17%) were misdiagnosed. Excluding the patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, 46 of 152 patients (30%) were misdiagnosed before transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: Although cardiac transplantation is a viable treatment option for patients with a variety of cardiac diseases, accurate diagnosis of patients before transplantation remains a priority. Accurate diagnosis of particular diseases (sarcoidosis, myocarditis, iron toxicity-associated cardiomyopathy and others) allows for proper treatment before transplantation, which may slow down disease progression and improve patient outcomes. Furthermore, it is important to accurately diagnose patients with diseases such as sarcoidosis, amyloidosis and particular types of myocarditis because these can readily recur in the grafted heart. The risk for recurrence must be known to practitioners and, most importantly, to the patient. We strongly recommend the use of EMB if a nonischemic cardiomyopathy is suspected, because the results may alter the diagnosis and modify the treatment strategy.

Early morphological changes of an Amplatzer Septal Occluder explanted at heart transplant.

A 59-year-old male with severe biventricular heart failure presented with worsening dyspnea and angina. Following left ventricular assist device insertion, an Amplatzer Septal Occluder (ASO) was required as the patient's patent foramen ovale reopened. Seven months later, the patient underwent heart transplantation. The excised ASO was covered with a thick layer of host tissue on both right and left atrial sides, and organized thrombus was found between the metal wires. The foreign materials, the Nitinol wire and the synthetic (Dacron) fabric, showed a reactive infiltrate of macrophages, multinucleate giant cells, and scattered mononuclear cells.

Pericardial patch repair of the left atrioventricular valve in atrioventricular septal defect: long-term changes in the patch.

A 31-year-old woman with partial atrioventricular septal defect underwent left atrioventricular valve (LAVV) replacement. Her initial repair was at 8 years of age. At 23 years of age, she underwent reoperation due to a combination of severe left ventricular outlet obstruction and moderate LAVV regurgitation. At that reoperation, she had a Dacron patch enlargement of the infundibular septum and repair of her LAVV with a xenograft (bovine) pericardial patch sutured into the superior bridging leaflet. LAVV replacement was required 8 years later because of valve insufficiency. There was a perforation in the patch with fibrosis, thickening due to pannus, and calcification of the pericardial tissue and the leaflet tissue, leading to stiffening of the tissue.

Mitral repair with the Evalve MitraClip device: histopathologic findings in the porcine model.

INTRODUCTION: Percutaneous mitral repair with the MitraClip device ("clip") is currently being evaluated in a Phase II clinical trial (EVEREST II). This device was evaluated in an animal model prior to use in humans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-one excised clips with accompanying leaflet tissue from pigs were examined at 4, 12, 17, 24, and 52 weeks. Sixteen specimens were available for hematoxylin and eosin and Movat pentachrome staining, and five were sent for scanning electron microscopy. The devices were examined grossly for tissue growth on flow and nonflow surfaces, thrombus, and vegetations. Microscopic evaluation focused on the presence of tissue growth around the device, the inflammatory response, and the presence of thrombus, infective endocarditis, and hematoma. RESULTS: Tissue growth on both flow and nonflow surfaces was seen in all specimens with variation of tissue thickness proportional to the duration of device implantation. Evidence of endothelialization, fibrous encapsulation, and organization of tissue between the aortic and mitral leaflets was observed. Adjacent chordae tendinae were incorporated into the healing tissue growth around the device as early as 4 weeks, in 33% of clips implanted for that time period, increasing to 67% of clips at 12 weeks, and 100% of clips at 17, 24, and 52 weeks. Two animals were diagnosed with infective endocarditis during life. CONCLUSIONS: Mechanical coaptation of the mitral leaflets in an animal model demonstrates adequate tissue response and healing with complete encapsulation of the device by 12 weeks and ongoing healing response proportional to duration of implantation. Infective endocarditis remains a potential complication in the animal model and for all implanted prosthetic devices.

Sneezing reflex associated with intravenous sedation and periocular anesthetic injection.

PURPOSE: To assess and compare the frequency of reflex sneezing occurring during periocular anesthetic injections with and without intravenous sedation. DESIGN: Retrospective, comparative case series. METHODS: Seven hundred and twenty-two patients undergoing oculoplastic surgical procedures were included in this study. Those who received a periocular anesthetic injection under intravenous sedation served as the test group of 381 subjects. Those who received a periocular anesthetic injection without intravenous sedation served as the control group of 341 subjects. The absence or presence of reflex sneezing in both groups was recorded and compared using Chi-square analysis. RESULTS: Of the 381 patients who received periocular anesthetic injections under intravenous sedation, 19 (5%) exhibited a vigorous sneeze. Conversely, none of the 341 patients who received periocular anesthetic injections without intravenous sedation sneezed (P < or = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Surgeons, anesthesia staff, and other operating room personnel should be aware of this unusual and potentially dangerous sneeze phenomenon when periocular anesthetic injections are delivered under intravenous sedation to reduce potential ocular complications.

Pericardial tumors.

Pericardial tumors are rare. A majority of the reported cases are metastatic in nature and indicate a poor prognosis. Primary tumors of the pericardium are extremely rare and occur in a broad age range. This review describes several of the more common lesions: germ cell tumors, solitary fibroma, pericardial mesothelioma, and metastatic disease.