Changes in retinal vessels related to varicocele: a pilot investigation.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether retinal vasculature changes had occurred (retinal artery diameter, retinal vein diameter and artery/vein ratio) in patients with varicocele. This pilot study included 50 healthy subjects with any eye disease apart from slight refractive errors and 55 patients with varicocele. Retinal arteriolar and venular diameters were measured and summarised as central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE) and central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE). Retinal microvascular diameters and the arteriolar-to-venular ratio (AVR) were assessed with a digital retinal camera. All measurements and calculations were performed using a computer-based program. The mean CRAE value was 151.8 ± 3.6 µm in the study group and 150.4 ± 4.5 µm in the control group. Mean CRVE value was 209.4 ± 5.9 µm in the study group and 200.1 ± 8.7 µm in the control group. AVR was found 0.72 ± 0.02 in the study group and 0.75 ± 0.03 in the control group. There were significant differences between groups in terms of CRVE and AVR. There were no significant differences between groups in terms of CRAE. The results of this study showed that the patients with varicocele showed significant changes on retinal vascular diameter.

A medically treated multiple cerebral hydatid cyst disease.

Echinococcosis is a potentially fatal parasitic disease that can affect many animals and humans. The disease results from infection by tapeworm larvae of the genus Echinococcus--notably, E. granulosus, E. multilocularis, E. vogeli andE. oligarthrus. Cyst hydatid disease is usually seen in adults, and mainly affects liver and/or lungs (90%). Cerebral involvement is very rare (1-3%), and more common in children. Therapy consists of medical treatment and surgical intervention if it is possible. The authors report the case of a 55-year-old male patient with multiple intracranial hydatid cysts, who was successfully treated with albendazole (10 mg/kg/day) alone without any surgical intervention.

Comparison of the effect of the rotation palatoplasty and V-Y pushback palatoplasty techniques on palate elongation with magnetic resonance imaging.

Most surgical techniques used in cleft palate repair require the extension of the palate to the pharynx. However, no adequate information exists regarding the extent to which this elongation obtained during operation continues in late postoperative period. In this study, we compared and measured palate elongation in patients with a cleft palate who underwent a V-Y pushback or rotation palatoplasty, by means of magnetic resonance images obtained before and 1 year after surgery. The hard palate, soft palate, and total palate lengths were measured for all of the patients, and the velopharyngeal opening area width was calculated. In patients who underwent the V-Y pushback technique (n=13), the total palate and soft palate lengths were shortened by an average of 0.10 and 0.14cm after surgery, respectively. However, the hard palate length was elongated by an average of 0.13cm. In the rotation palatoplasty group (n=13), the total palate, hard palate, and soft palate lengths were elongated by 0.57, 0.10, and 0.49cm, respectively. The velopharyngeal opening was narrowed by 0.06cm(2) using the V-Y pushback technique and by 0.29cm(2) using the rotational palatoplasty. This study demonstrated that the palate does not elongate during the V-Y pushback technique, as expected. However, rotational palatoplasty elongates the soft palate.