Surgical outcomes of tarsofrontalis sling surgery using silicon rod versus supramaximal levator resection in unilateral congenital ptosis with poor levator function.

PURPOSE: To compare the surgical outcomes of tarsofrontalis sling surgery using silicon rod versus supramaximal levator resection in patients of unilateral congenital ptosis with poor levator function (≤ 4 mm). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This randomized control study was conducted over a period of 18 months. 44 patients were enrolled in the study group. The study population was randomly divided into two groups (22 in each group). In Group A, congenital ptosis was treated with tarsofrontalis sling surgery using silicon rod and supramaximal levator resection was done in the group B. Follow-up examination was done at postoperative day 1, one week, 1 month, 6 months and 12 months. Surgical outcome measures were change in marginal reflex distance-1 (MRD 1), vertical palpebral fissure height (VPFH) and inter-eyelid difference of margin reflex distance 1 and complications in two groups. RESULTS: The mean age of patients in group A was 7.25 ± 6.10 years ranging from 1-18 years and mean age of patients in group B was 5.64 ± 2.44 years ranging from 3 to 11 years. Good surgical outcome was obtained in 73-77% of both groups. MRD1and VPFH increased significantly after surgery from baseline in both the groups (p value < 0.001). Inter-eyelid MRD 1 difference also improved significantly in both groups following ptosis surgery. CONCLUSION: Both supramaximal levator resection and tarsofrontalis sling surgery are equally effective in cases of unilateral ptosis patients with poor levator function and should be part of the surgical armamentarium for treating congenital ptosis.

Grit in Medical Education: Differing Perspectives of Residents and Mentors.

Background Increasing concerns about depression and burnout in residents have led to a recent focus on assessing "non-cognitive" traits in residents and residency applicants. One attribute that has received significant attention is grit, defined as trait-level perseverance and passion for long-term goals. With an objective measure available, an important question is under what circumstances of administration is that measure reliable and accurate. The goal of this study was to ascertain whether internal medicine residents and their faculty mentors were congruent in their ratings of resident grit, or if not, how the ratings differed.  Methods Subjects were internal medicine residents (N=42) at a community-based university-affiliated hospital internal medicine residency program. Near the end of the academic year 2019, residents completed the GRIT-S (short form). As each resident is assigned a mentor during their training, each resident's mentor was also asked to complete the GRIT-S based on their view of their mentee.  Results This study failed to find a significant correlation between resident self-ratings of grit and those of their mentors. Conclusions The results of these two studies underscore the difficulty in obtaining accurate assessments of non-cognitive traits. These results further the understanding of the role of grit and raise important questions about how assessments might be used to assure validity. Further areas of inquiry into this potentially important characteristic are suggested.

Extraintestinal Manifestations of Crohn's Disease in the Form of Pulmonary Nodules: A Case Report.

Crohn's disease is a systemic illness with a plethora of extraintestinal manifestations affecting various organs, of which the lungs are relatively rare. Pulmonary involvement may include airway diseases, lung parenchymal diseases, pleural diseases, or drug-related diseases. Tracheobronchial involvement is the most common respiratory presentation, whereas Crohn's disease-related interstitial lung disease is seen less frequently. A 41-year-old woman with a past medical history of Crohn's disease (status-post subtotal colectomy) presented to the hospital for an enlarging ground-glass opacity in her right middle lobe detected on routine computed tomography of the abdomen six months earlier. The opacity had increased in size from 21 x 18 mm to 28 x 18 mm and another ground-glass opacity in the right lower lobe increased in size from 5 mm to 12.4 mm. A robotic right middle lobectomy with lymph node dissection was done and bronchoscopy showed benign nodular lymphoid hyperplasia and a single perivascular epithelioid granuloma. A year later, her relapsing episodes of cough and shortness of breath were managed with prednisone, 20 mg, for a probable pulmonary manifestation of Crohn's disease. A non-contrast computed tomography of the chest showed interval resolution of the right lower lobe ground-glass opacity. A year after that, she presented to the hospital with increasing cough, shortness of breath, and a new right lower lobe ground-glass opacity (14 x 14 mm) on non-contrast computed tomography of the chest and has been managed with steroids with consideration of immunosuppression. In conclusion, pulmonary manifestations of Crohn's disease present in a myriad of varieties and often present confounding diagnostic problems necessitating an extensive work-up. Thus, Crohn's disease should be kept in the differential list in case of unusual clinical symptoms and radiological signs of idiopathic pulmonary presentations. These infrequent, and sometimes life-threatening, extraintestinal manifestations need to be considered when dealing with Crohn's disease to avoid further impairment of health status and alleviate patient symptoms by prompt recognition and treatment.

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma: An Unusual Case in an Octogenarian.

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is an unusual subtype of mature peripheral T-cell lymphoma originating from the follicular T-helper cells and is often associated with autoimmune disorders. AITL is an aggressive lymphoma, presenting with constitutional symptoms, generalized lymphadenopathy, and hepatosplenomegaly. Immunohistochemistry and biopsy are diagnostic methods. The treatment modalities range from steroids, immunomodulators, and cytotoxic chemotherapy. An 87-year-old female presented to the emergency department with cough, dyspnea, dizziness, night sweats, and unintentional weight loss with multiple discrete swellings over her body for a duration of three days. Her physical exam was significant for tachycardia with dry mucous membranes and generalized lymphadenopathy. However, no hepatosplenomegaly was noted. Laboratory investigations revealed neutrophilic leukocytosis (12.8 K/uL), with elevated inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein of 1.39 mg/dL, sedimentation rate of 86 mm/hour). The biopsy of the cervical lymph node revealed atypical lymphoid infiltrates. Flow cytometry showed CD10+ and CD4+/CD8+ T-cells with a minority of CD23+ B-cells, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) reported gains of the BCL2 gene region on chromosome 18, all of which were suggestive of AITL. She was transferred to an advanced hematology center for staging and targeted therapy. A careful review of the patient with the prompt clinical and histological examination is essential for the correct diagnosis as the differentials are vast due to its non-specific clinical presentation and accurate treatment is a must for complete remission.

Multiple volar dislocations of the carpometacarpal joints with an associated fracture of the first metacarpal base.

Multiple volar dislocations of carpometacarpal (CMC) joints are uncommon and have been reported rarely. A 25 years old male presented with injury to his left hand 6 days following a road traffic accident. Clinical examination revealed gross swelling of the hand and diffuse tenderness over the carpometacarpal area. His radiographs of the hand showed volar dislocation of the second, third and fourth CMC joints in association with an extra-articular fracture of the base of thumb metacarpal. He was treated by open reduction and percutaneous fixation using Kirschner wires. The functional results were excellent at one year follow-up.

Primary corneal myxoma.

Primary corneal myxoma is extremely rare. It has only been reported on 2 previous occasions. Secondary corneal myxomas are more common, arising from corneal diseases such as infective keratitis, keratoconus, and bullous keratopathy. Myxomas occur commonly in other soft tissues such as the heart, paranasal sinuses, and muscles but can rarely present in periocular structures including the conjunctiva, orbit, and eyelid. Ours is only the third case of primary corneal myxoma reported in the literature and illustrates several unusual features. These include an inferonasal location between the corneal epithelium and Bowman layer and with no relationship to the corneal stroma, rapid tumor growth over a 3-month period, and no previous ocular trauma or conjunctival pathology. The histology of this lesion has an important part to play in the management of this condition as it determines the cellular origin, establishes a benign or malignant state, and helps with treatment and prognosis. One reported case of primary corneal myxoma recurred within 2 months after local resection. This was treated with bandage soft contact lens, and no recurrence had been reported since. Our case is now 12 months post op and has had no recurrence.

Povidone iodine causes opacification of silicone intraocular lens implants.

PURPOSE: Four cases of silicone intraocular lens (IOL) opacifications presented at a routine cataract service at a UK district general hospital. A systematic investigation was performed to identify and eliminate the causative factor. METHODS: An experiment was set up to determine the role of a chemically induced IOL injury. Silicone IOLs were exposed to the various chemical agents used during cataract surgery. One IOL was not exposed to any chemicals and was used as a control. The samples were then photographed with the same camera settings against the same background in a medical photography studio. RESULTS: All samples photographed using this technique were clear as the unexposed control IOL, except the IOLs that had come into contact with povidone iodine (PI). Exposure to higher concentrations of PI appears to give a greater opacification and staining--a graded effect. CONCLUSION: While the toxic effects of PI on corneal endothelial health is well recognized, as far as the authors are aware no reports exists on the possible harmful effects of PI on IOLs. The results from the current study suggest that exposure of silicone IOLs to even small volumes of 5% PI can lead to IOL opacifying effects. Further studies are needed to determine the toxic effects of PI on all IOL materials. However, based on the results of our study, we strongly recommend extreme caution in the use of PI as prophylaxis against infection at the conclusion of cataract surgery and recommend great care to ensure complete wound closure.

Ophthalmic plastic surgical skills assessment tool.

PURPOSE: To present a structured tool to assess ophthalmic plastic surgical skill and to determine its face and content validity. METHODS: A 1-page structured subjective evaluation form was developed to evaluate a resident's oculoplastic surgical skill while performing lateral tarsal strip surgery. The tool consisted of generic task components and global indices evaluated using a 5-point Likert scale. A survey was conducted among a panel of highly experienced oculoplastic surgeons to establish face and content validity of the tool. All feedback was considered and, if feasible, was used to amend the tool. RESULTS: There was more than 90% agreement among the highly experienced oculoplastic surgeons regarding the content and weighting of each assessment component. The final format of the tool is divided in 9 task-specific indices, based on the lateral tarsal strip procedure, and 9 global indices which, after assessment, appraisal, and amendment by our expert panel, demonstrates face and content validity. CONCLUSIONS: The Ophthalmic Plastic Surgical Skills Assessment Tool is a structured, quantitative instrument designed to aid in the oculoplastic surgical evaluation and training of residents.

Giant cell tumor along with secondary aneurysmal bone cyst of scapula: A rare presentation.

Giant cell tumor (GCT) is a distinctive lesion characterized by the proliferation of multinucleate giant cells in a stroma of mononuclear cells; it is generally seen in skeletally mature individuals. GCT of bone is usually found in the long bones around the knee or in the distal radius of young adults and is unusual in the flat bones. We report a case of GCT of the acromion of the scapula, with a secondary aneurysmal bone cyst, in a 30-year-old female. Based on our review of the English language medical literature, it appears that the occurrence of a GCT along with a secondary aneurysmal bone cyst in flat bones (e.g.. the scapula) is very rare.

Percutaneous K-wiring for Gartland type III supracondylar humerus fractures in children.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the ability of closed reduction and percutaneous K-wire fixation, to obtain and maintain an adequate reduction, and thereby achieve satisfactory end results. METHODS: A prospective study conducted on 60 children over 28 months at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India, from March 2003 to June 2005, in which Gartland type-III supracondylar fracture humerus were treated by closed reduction and percutaneous pinning, either from lateral side only or from medial side also, under image intensifier control. RESULTS: There was no problem in union. Patients were graded by Flynn's criteria with excellent results in 88.88%, good in 4.44%, and fair in 2.24%, and poor in 4.44% cases. Only one patient had developed cubitus varus deformity and one had Iatrogenic Ulnar nerve palsy from medial pin, which recovered subsequently. The Baumann's angle was well with in the normal range of 66-84 degrees [corrected] CONCLUSION: Percutaneous K-wire fixation is a safe and effective method for the management of Gartland type-III supracondylar fractures with minimal hospital stay and without risking vascular compromise.