Rare micropupil secondary to congenital cataract surgery favoring the development of the affected eye: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Congenital microcoria has been extensively reported and usually leads to visual dysfunction or blindness. However, micropupil development secondary to cataract surgery has never been reported. Here, we describe a rare case of micropupil development in infancy that occurred secondary to combined cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation for treatment of congenital cataract. When the patient reached adulthood, the affected eye not only gained good vision but also showed better ocular development and refractive status than the fellow eye. CASE PRESENTATION: A 17-year-old boy presented to our outpatient clinic with decreased vision in his left eye related to congenital cataract surgery at 6 months of age. The affected eye had exhibited a pinhole pupil since the third month postoperatively. The condition had been managed with observation and regular monocular occlusion treatment. Upon presentation to our clinic, the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in his fellow eye was 0.0 logMAR(20/20) with a refraction of - 5.75 diopters cylinder/-2.25 diopters sphere, and the BCVA in his affected eye was 0.5 logMAR(20/40) with a refraction of 0.00 diopters. Ophthalmic examination of the affected eye revealed a pinhole pupil (approximately 0.5 mm) with high light reflex sensitivity but no response to pupil-dilating drugs. The patient underwent pupilloplasty of the affected eye under corneal surface anesthesia. Postoperative examination revealed better ocular development in the affected eye than in the fellow eye (axial length: 24.21 vs. 27.02 mm, respectively) as well as better refractive status in the affected eye (BCVA of 0.0 logMAR(20/20) with a refraction of - 2.23 diopters cylinder/-3.00 diopters sphere vs. 0logMAR(20/20) with a refraction of -5.75 diopters cylinder/-2.25 diopters sphere). CONCLUSIONS: We have reported a rare case of micropupil development secondary to congenital cataract surgery, which is an uncommon complication, especially in children. However, unlike congenital microcoria, the secondary pinhole pupil may have reduced imaging haze and halos, possibly favoring the development of the affected eye. This case provides further insight into the treatment of congenital cataract.

Treatment of Fordyce Spots with CO2 Laser: A Case Series of Three Patients.

The Fordyce spots are ectopic sebaceous glands, located at the lip's vermilion border or the oral mucosa. Clinically presents as tiny, discrete, white or yellowish, focally grouped papules. It is a common cosmetic disorder and is significantly associated with emotional stress. Herein, we describe three cases that showed satisfactory cosmetic results after the treatment of Fordyce spots using a CO2 laser. Patients were 21-year-old, 25-year-old, and 28-year-old males with Fordyce spots on the upper lip. They were treated with the CO2 laser and after 4 months of treatment, no recurrence was noted. Treatment with pinhole ablation with CO2 laser improves cosmetic results, reduces downtime, and minimizes side effects. To the best of our knowledge, no such case series have been reported to date from the Indian subcontinent.

Correction of multiplexing artefacts in multi-pinhole SPECT through temporal shuttering, de-multiplexing of projections, and alternating reconstruction.

Objective.Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with pinhole collimators can provide high-resolution imaging, but is often limited by low sensitivity. Acquiring projections simultaneously through multiple pinholes affords both high resolution and high sensitivity. However, the overlap of projections from different pinholes on detectors, known as multiplexing, has been shown to cause artefacts which degrade reconstructed images.Approach.Multiplexed projection sets were considered here using an analytic simulation model of AdaptiSPECT-C-a brain-dedicated multi-pinhole SPECT system. AdaptiSPECT-C has fully adaptable aperture shutters, so can acquire projections with a combination of multiplexed and non-multiplexed frames using temporal shuttering. Two strategies for reducing multiplex artefacts were considered: an algorithm to de-multiplex projections, and an alternating reconstruction strategy for projections acquired with a combination of multiplexed and non-multiplexed frames. Geometric and anthropomorphic digital phantoms were used to assess a number of metrics.Main results.Both de-multiplexing strategies showed a significant reduction in image artefacts and improved fidelity, image uniformity, contrast recovery and activity recovery (AR). In all cases, the two de-multiplexing strategies resulted in superior metrics to those from images acquired with only mux-free frames. The de-multiplexing algorithm provided reduced image noise and superior uniformity, whereas the alternating strategy improved contrast and AR.Significance.The use of these de-multiplexing algorithms means that multi-pinhole SPECT systems can acquire projections with more multiplexing without degradation of images.

Pre-Descemet's endothelial keratoplasty with glued intraocular lens implantation with pinhole pupilloplasty in a case of ocular comorbidity in achromatopsia.

Ocular comorbidities can happen as congenital defective gene associations. We present a 37-year-old female patient who was mentally challenged and had coexisting achromatopsia gene abnormality on genetic analysis. She was operated in childhood for congenital cataract, and posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL) was implanted at 10 years of age elsewhere. The patient presented 27 years later with luxated IOL with endothelial decompensation. There was a coexisting steep and thin cornea noted on corneal topography. She was managed with pre-Descemet's endothelial keratoplasty with transpositioning of posterior chamber IOL to glued IOL with single-pass four-throw pupilloplasty. Postoperatively, the cornea was clear with centered glued IOL. The lesser postanesthetic challenges and faster rehabilitation are obtained in combination procedures with reduced complications in such rare scenarios.

Viewing-Angle-Enhanced and Dual-View Compatible Integral Imaging 3D Display Based on a Dual Pinhole Array.

Conventional integral imaging (InIm) three-dimensional (3D) display has the defect of a small viewing angle and usually presents a single 3D image. In this paper, we propose a viewing-angle-enhanced and dual-view compatible InIm 3D display system. The crosstalk pixel areas within the conventional elemental images (EIs) that result in image crosstalk were effectively utilized either for viewing angle enhancement or for dual-view 3D display. In the viewing-angle-enhanced 3D display mode, a composite elemental image (CEI) that consisted of a normal EI and two view-enhanced EIs was imaged by a dual pinhole array and formed an extended 3D viewing area. A precisely designed mask array was introduced to block the overlapped rays between adjacent viewing areas to eliminate image crosstalk. While in the dual-view 3D display mode, a CEI was composed of image information of two different 3D scenes. With the help of the dual pinhole array and mask array, two different 3D images were reconstructed for the left and right perspectives. Experiments demonstrated that both the left and right sides were increased by 6 degrees from the conventional 3D viewing angle, and also, a dual-view 3D display effect that retains the same viewing angle as the conventional system was achieved. The proposed system has a compact structure and can be freely switched between two display modes.

Tibial Lateral Condyle Fracture After Cementless Oxford Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty (UKA): A Report of Four Cases.

Cementless unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has a lower rate of radiolucency in postoperative follow-up than cemented UKA. However, the rate of tibial plateau fracture, one of the complications, has been reported to be higher in cementless UKA than in cemented UKA. We report four cases of postoperative tibial lateral condyle fractures after cementless Oxford UKA. Four patients underwent cementless Oxford UKA. Immediate postoperative radiography and CT showed no fracture lines. At five to six weeks postoperatively, MRI showed a fracture line from the intersection of the longitudinal and transverse tibial osteotomies through the lateral pinhole to the end of the lateral tibial diaphysis. At three months, bone union was observed without surgical treatments. Lateral tibial fracture after cementless Oxford UKA has a good clinical course without the need for surgical intervention. Medial fractures should thus be more actively prevented. MRI is useful for less symptomatic tibial lateral condyle fractures.

Establishing Pinhole Deposition Mode of Zn via Scalable Monolayer Graphene Film.

The uneven texture evolution of Zn during electrodeposition would adversely impact upon the lifespan of aqueous Zn metal batteries. To address this issue, tremendous endeavors are made to induce Zn(002) orientational deposition employing graphene and its derivatives. Nevertheless, the effect of prototype graphene film over Zn deposition behavior has garnered less attention. Here, it is attempted to solve such a puzzle via utilizing transferred high-quality graphene film with controllable layer numbers in a scalable manner on a Zn foil. The multilayer graphene fails to facilitate a Zn epitaxial deposition, whereas the monolayer film with slight breakages steers a unique pinhole deposition mode. In-depth electrochemical measurements and theoretical simulations discover that the transferred graphene film not only acts as an armor to inhibit side reactions but also serves as a buffer layer to homogenize initial Zn nucleation and decrease Zn migration barrier, accordingly enabling a smooth deposition layer with closely stacked polycrystalline domains. As a result, both assembled symmetric and full cells manage to deliver satisfactory electrochemical performances. This study proposes a concept of "pinhole deposition" to dictate Zn electrodeposition and broadens the horizons of graphene-modified Zn anodes.

High-resolution Imaging Using Virtual-Pinhole PET Concept.

Organ-specific PET scanners continues to draw interest for their high-resolution imaging capability that is unmatched by whole-body PET/computed tomography (CT) scanners. The virtual-pinhole PET concept offers new opportunities in PET system design, allowing one to mix and match detectors of different characteristics to achieve the highest performance such as high image resolution, high system sensitivity, and large imaging field-of-view. This novel approach delivers high-resolution PET images previously available only through organ-specific PET scanner while maintaining the imaging field-of-view of a clinical PET/CT scanner to see the entire body.

Assessment of radiological risk associated with thoron gas at primary schools in Al-Najaf city, Iraq.

Children spend considerable time at home and school, so school is likely to be a second source of natural radionuclide exposure after home. This study evaluates the radiological risk associated with thoron gas in the air within the building of one hundred primary schools in Al-Najaf City, Iraq, using a CR-39 detector. The results of the average value of thoron concentration detector, the annual effective dose (AED), Excessive Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) × 10-3, and Lung Cancer Case (LCC) × 10-9 measured in the building of the schools were 7.47 ± 2.85 Bq/m3, 0.03 ± 0.01 mSv/y, 0.11 ± 0.04, and 0.54 ± 0.20, respectively. All the results of indoor thoron were below the global average limit. The results of the radiological survey due to thoron concentrations for studied primary schools suggest that the radionuclides and their radiological hazard indexes in all studied schools in AL Najaf city, Iraq, do not impose a health hazard.

Multi-pinhole collimator design in different numbers of projections for brain SPECT.

Purpose: High resolution and sensitivity brain SPECT is promising for the accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Multi-pinhole (MPH) collimators with a good performance in imaging small field-of-view (FOV) could be better used for brain SPECT. In this study, we aim to evaluate the impact of varying the number of pinholes and the number of projections on the performance of MPH brain SPECT. Methods: The system design was based on a commercial clinical dual-head SPECT/CT scanner, with target spatial resolutions of 12 mm and 8 mm for AD and PD SPECT, respectively. In total, 1-25 pinholes were modeled for 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, and 2 projections. The 3D NURBS-based HUman Brain (NHUB) phantom was used in the analytical simulation to model 99mTc-HMPAO and 99mTc-TRODAT distributions. The 2D Derenzo hot-rod phantom and star phantom were used in Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the spatial resolution and angular sampling performance of MPH. The influence of different detector positions was also evaluated for 2, 4, and 6 angular views. The projections were reconstructed using the 3D MPH ML-EM method. Normalized mean square error, coefficient of variation, and image profiles were evaluated. Results: Along with the decrease in the number of projections, more pinholes are required to achieve the optimum performance. For 32 projections, 9- and 7-pinhole collimators provide the best normalized mean square error (NMSE) to the coefficient of variation (COV) trade-off for 99mTc-HMPAO and 99mTc-TRODAT, respectively. Detector positions substantially affect the image quality for MPH SPECT for 2 and 4 angular views. The smallest rod size for the Derenzo hot-rod phantom, which could be resolved, is 7.9 mm for the MPH general purpose collimator (MPGP) with more than 16 projections and 6.4 mm for MPH high-resolution collimator (MPHR) with more than 8 projections. Conclusion: The number of pinholes affects the performance of the MPH collimator, especially when the projection views become fewer. More pinholes are required for fewer projections to provide better angular sampling in MPH for complex activity distributions. Detector positions affect the image quality of MPH SPECT for 2 and 4 angular views, where L-mode acquisition is slightly superior to H-mode. MPH collimators exhibited improved spatial resolution and angular sampling compared with both LEHR and single pinhole collimators.

An Efficient Binary Sand Cat Swarm Optimization for Feature Selection in High-Dimensional Biomedical Data.

Recent breakthroughs are making a significant contribution to big data in biomedicine which are anticipated to assist in disease diagnosis and patient care management. To obtain relevant information from this data, effective administration and analysis are required. One of the major challenges associated with biomedical data analysis is the so-called "curse of dimensionality". For this issue, a new version of Binary Sand Cat Swarm Optimization (called PILC-BSCSO), incorporating a pinhole-imaging-based learning strategy and crossover operator, is presented for selecting the most informative features. First, the crossover operator is used to strengthen the search capability of BSCSO. Second, the pinhole-imaging learning strategy is utilized to effectively increase exploration capacity while avoiding premature convergence. The Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier with a linear kernel is used to assess classification accuracy. The experimental results show that the PILC-BSCSO algorithm beats 11 cutting-edge techniques in terms of classification accuracy and the number of selected features using three public medical datasets. Moreover, PILC-BSCSO achieves a classification accuracy of 100% for colon cancer, which is difficult to classify accurately, based on just 10 genes. A real Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (TCGA-HCC) data set was also used to further evaluate the effectiveness of the PILC-BSCSO approach. PILC-BSCSO identifies a subset of five marker genes, including prognostic biomarkers HMMR, CHST4, and COL15A1, that have excellent predictive potential for liver cancer using TCGA data.

Generic and Model-Based Calibration Method for Spatial Frequency Domain Imaging with Parameterized Frequency and Intensity Correction.

Spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) is well established in biology and medicine for non-contact, wide-field imaging of optical properties and 3D topography. Especially for turbid media with displaced, tilted or irregularly shaped surfaces, the reliable quantitative measurement of diffuse reflectance requires efficient calibration and correction methods. In this work, we present the implementation of a generic and hardware independent calibration routine for SFDI setups based on the so-called pinhole camera model for both projection and detection. Using a two-step geometric and intensity calibration, we obtain an imaging model that efficiently and accurately determines 3D topography and diffuse reflectance for subsequently measured samples, taking into account their relative distance and orientation to the camera and projector, as well as the distortions of the optical system. Derived correction procedures for position- and orientation-dependent changes in spatial frequency and intensity allow the determination of the effective scattering coefficient µs' and the absorption coefficient µa when measuring a spherical optical phantom at three different measurement positions and at nine wavelengths with an average error of 5% and 12%, respectively. Model-based calibration allows the characterization of the imaging properties of the entire SFDI system without prior knowledge, enabling the future development of a digital twin for synthetic data generation or more robust evaluation methods.

Phacoemulsification, pinhole pupilloplasty, and pre-Descemet's endothelial keratoplasty for keratoconus with Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy.

The comorbidity of keratoconus with Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy with cataract is a rare clinical combination. We present an amalgamation of surgical techniques to manage the above clinical conditions and its complications in single setting. The modified triple procedure, namely, the phacoemulsification, pinhole pupilloplasty, and pre-Descemet's endothelial keratoplasty (PDEK) in the order of description is followed in single sitting. Lens removal by phacoemulsification, correction of irregular astigmatism by pinhole pupilloplasty (pinhole optics), and exchanging the endothelial layer for PDEK forms the main segments of the triple procedure. This combination of techniques may decrease the risk of multiple surgeries and its related complications. Moreover, it will allow the patient for faster visual rehabilitation by improving the uncorrected visual acuity and visual quality.

Extended Q-range small-angle neutron scattering to understand the morphology of proton-exchange membranes: the case of the functionalized syndiotactic-polystyrene model system.

Semi-crystalline polymers exhibit microphase separation into crystalline and amorphous domains characterized by multiple structural levels with sizes ranging from ångströms to hundreds of nanometres. The combination of small-angle (SANS) and wide-angle (WANS) neutron scattering on the same beamline enables reliable in situ characterization of such materials under application-relevant conditions, with the unique advantage of contrast variation by controlled labelling, allowing the structure of such multi-component systems to be resolved in detail. This paper reports a structural analysis performed on deuterated polymer membranes based on syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) using an extended Q-range SANS and WANS combination, always with the same neutron scattering instrument, either a pinhole SANS diffractometer installed at a research reactor or a 'small- and wide-angle' time-of-flight diffractometer installed at a neutron spallation source. sPS is a semi-crystalline material that becomes hydrophilic and proton conducting when suitable functionalization is achieved by thin film sulfonation, and can form various co-crystalline complexes (clathrates) with small organic molecules stored in the crystalline phase as guests in the vacancies between the polymer helices. Therefore, this material is interesting not only for its conducting properties but also for its versatility as a model system to evaluate the usefulness of extended Q-range neutron scattering in such studies. Variation of neutron contrast was achieved in the amorphous hydrophilic phase by using H2O or D2O to hydrate the membranes and in the crystalline phase by loading the clathrates with deuterated or protonated guest molecules. The experimental approach, the advantages and limitations of the two types of instrumentation used in such analyses, and the main results obtained with respect to the structural characterization of sulfonated sPS membranes under different hydration and temperature conditions are reported, and the potential of this method for similar structural studies on other semi-crystalline polymeric materials is discussed.

An improved multi-strategy beluga whale optimization for global optimization problems.

This paper presents an improved beluga whale optimization (IBWO) algorithm, which is mainly used to solve global optimization problems and engineering problems. This improvement is proposed to solve the imbalance between exploration and exploitation and to solve the problem of insufficient convergence accuracy and speed of beluga whale optimization (BWO). In IBWO, we use a new group action strategy (GAS), which replaces the exploration phase in BWO. It was inspired by the group hunting behavior of beluga whales in nature. The GAS keeps individual belugas whales together, allowing them to hide together from the threat posed by their natural enemy, the tiger shark. It also enables the exchange of location information between individual belugas whales to enhance the balance between local and global lookups. On this basis, the dynamic pinhole imaging strategy (DPIS) and quadratic interpolation strategy (QIS) are added to improve the global optimization ability and search rate of IBWO and maintain diversity. In a comparison experiment, the performance of the optimization algorithm (IBWO) was tested by using CEC2017 and CEC2020 benchmark functions of different dimensions. Performance was analyzed by observing experimental data, convergence curves, and box graphs, and the results were tested using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. The results show that IBWO has good optimization performance and robustness. Finally, the applicability of IBWO to practical engineering problems is verified by five engineering problems.

A virtual-pinhole PET device for improving contrast recovery and enhancing lesion detectability of a one-meter-long PET scanner: a simulation study.

This paper presents a simulation study to demonstrate that the contrast recovery coefficients (CRC) and detectability of small lesions of a one-meter-long positron emission tomography (PET) scanner can be further enhanced by the integration of high resolution virtual-pinhole (VP) PET devices. The scanner under investigation is a Siemens Biograph Vision Quadra which has an axial field-of-view (FOV) of 106 cm. The VP-PET devices contain two high-resolution flat panel detectors, each composed of 2 × 8 detector modules each of which consists of 32 × 64 lutetium-oxyorthosilicate crystals (1.0 × 1.0 × 10.0 mm3each). Two configurations for the VP-PET device placement were evaluated: (1) place the two flat-panel detectors at the center of the scanner's axial FOV below the patient bed; (2) place one flat-panel detector at the center of the first and the last quarter of the scanner's axial FOV below the patient bed. Sensitivity profiles were measured by moving a point22Na source stepwise across the scanner's FOV axially at different locations. To assess the improvement in CRC and lesion detectability by the VP-PET devices, an elliptical torso phantom (31.6 × 22.8 × 106 cm3) was first imaged by the native scanner then subsequently by the two VP-PET geometry configurations. Spherical lesions (4 mm in diameter) having 5:1 lesion-to-background radioactivity concentration ratio were grouped and placed at nine regions in the phantom to analyze the dependence of the improvement in plane. Average CRCs and their standard deviations of the 7 tumors in each group were computed and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to evaluate the improvement in lesion detectability by the VP-PET device over the native long axial PET scanner. The fraction of coincidence events between the inserts and the scanner detectors was 13%-16% (out of the total number of coincidences) for VP-PET configuration 1 and 2, respectively. The VP-PET systems provide higher CRCs for lesions in all regions in the torso, with more significant enhancement at regions closer to the inserts, than the native scanner does. For any given false positive fraction, the VP-PET systems offer higher true positive fraction compared to the native scanner. This work provides a potential solution to further enhance the image resolution of a long axial FOV PET scanner to maximize its lesion detectability afforded by its super high effective sensitivity.

Evaluation of Polymer-Coated Carbon Nanotube Flexible Microelectrodes for Biomedical Applications.

The demand for electrically insulated microwires and microfibers in biomedical applications is rapidly increasing. Polymer protective coatings with high electrical resistivity, good chemical resistance, and a long shelf-life are critical to ensure continuous device operation during chronic applications. As soft and flexible electrodes can minimize mechanical mismatch between tissues and electronics, designs based on flexible conductive microfibers, such as carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers, and soft polymer insulation have been proposed. In this study, a continuous dip-coating approach was adopted to insulate meters-long CNT fibers with hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR), a soft and rubbery insulating polymer. Using this method, 4.8 m long CNT fibers with diameters of 25-66 µm were continuously coated with HNBR without defects or interruptions. The coated CNT fibers were found to be uniform, pinhole free, and biocompatible. Furthermore, the HNBR coating had better high-temperature tolerance than conventional insulating materials. Microelectrodes prepared using the HNBR-coated CNT fibers exhibited stable electrochemical properties, with a specific impedance of 27.0 ± 9.4 MΩ µm2 at 1.0 kHz and a cathodal charge storage capacity of 487.6 ± 49.8 mC cm-2. Thus, the developed electrodes express characteristics that made them suitable for use in implantable medical devices for chronic in vivo applications.

Hybrid imaging of prompt x-rays and induced positrons using a pinhole gamma camera during and after irradiation of protons.

Objective. Prompt x-ray imaging using a low-energy x-ray camera is a promising method for observing a proton beam's shape from outside the subject. Furthermore, imaging of positrons produced by nuclear reactions with protons is a possible method for observing the beam shape. However, it has not been possible to measure these two types of images with a single imaging system due to the limited imaging capability of existing systems. Imaging of both prompt x-rays and the distribution of positrons may compensate for the shortcomings of each method.Approach. We conducted imaging of the prompt x-ray using a pinhole x-ray camera during irradiation with protons in list mode. Then, after irradiation with protons, imaging of annihilation radiations from the produced positrons was conducted using the same pinhole x-ray camera in list mode. After this imaging, list-mode data were sorted to obtain prompt x-ray images and positron images.Main results. With the proposed procedure, we could measure both prompt x-ray images and induced positron images with a single irradiation by a proton beam. From the prompt x-ray images, ranges and widths of the proton beams could be estimated. The distributions of positrons were slightly wider than those of the prompt x-rays. From the time sequential positron images, we could derive the time activity curves of the produced positrons.Significance. Hybrid imaging of prompt x-rays and induced positrons using a pinhole x-ray camera was achieved. The proposed procedure would be useful for measuring prompt x-ray images during irradiation to estimate the beam structures as well as for measuring the induced positron images after irradiation to estimate the distributions and time activity curves of the induced positrons.

Durability and Performance Analysis of Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for Hydrogen Fuel Cells by a Coupled Chemo-mechanical Constitutive Model and Experimental Validation.

In this paper, a chemo-mechanically coupled behavior of Nafion 212 is investigated through predictive multiphysics modeling and experimental validation. Fuel cell performance and durability are critically determined by the mechanical and chemical degradation of a perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membrane. However, how the degree of chemical decomposition affects the material constitutive behavior has not been clearly defined. To estimate the degradation level quantitatively, fluoride release is measured. The PFSA membrane in tensile testing shows nonlinear behavior, which is modeled by J2 plasticity-based material modeling. The material parameters, which contain hardening parameters and Young's modulus, are characterized in terms of fluoride release levels by inverse analysis. In the sequel, membrane modeling is performed to investigate the life prediction due to humidity cycling. A continuum-based pinhole growth model is adopted in response to mechanical stress. As a result, validation is conducted in comparison with the accelerated stress test (AST) by correlating the size of the pinhole with the gas crossover generated in the membrane. This work provides a dataset of degraded membranes for performance and suggests the quantitative understanding and prediction of fuel cell durability with computational simulation.

Evaluation of the Pinhole Method Using Carbon Dioxide Laser on Facial Telangiectasia.

Facial telangiectasias are small, dilated blood vessels frequently located on the face. They are cosmetically disfiguring and require an effective solution. We aimed to investigate the effect of the pinhole method using a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser to treat facial telangiectasias. This study included 155 facial telangiectasia lesions in 72 patients who visited the Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University. Treatment efficacy and improvement were evaluated by quantitative measurements performed by two trained evaluators who assessed the percentage of residual lesion length using the same tape measure. Lesions were evaluated before laser therapy and 1, 3, and 6 months after the first treatment. Based on the initial lesion length (100%), the average percentages of the residual length at 1, 3, and 6 months were 48.26% (p < 0.01), 4.25% (p < 0.01), and 1.41% (p < 0.01), respectively. Complications were evaluated using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS). The average POSAS scores improved from 46.09 at the first visit to 23.42 (p < 0.01), and 15.24 (p < 0.01) at the 3- and 6-month follow-up. No recurrence was noted at the 6-month follow-up. CO2 laser treatment using the pinhole method to treat facial telangiectasias is a safe, inexpensive, and effective treatment that provides patients with excellent aesthetic satisfaction.