The BElfast Retinal Tear and detachment Score (BERT Score) in vitreous haemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE: To establish if the BElfast Retinal Tear and detachment Score (BERT Score) can be used in triaging patients presenting with vitreous haemorrhage to allow safe differentiation between those with retinal tears and detachments, versus haemorrhagic posterior vitreous detachments. METHODS: Retrospective audit of 122 patients presenting to eye casualty with vitreous haemorrhage excluding trauma and vascular causes. Twenty-two patients were excluded from the study as they had no follow-up. The BERT Score was applied to the remaining 100 patients. RESULTS: Vitreous haemorrhages with a BERT score ≥4 points were more likely to have a retinal tear or detachment (P = 0.0056). The sensitivity was 84.6% (confidence interval (CI) 65.0-100.0%), specificity 34.5% (CI 24.5-44.5%), positive predictive value 16.2% (CI 7.4-24.9%) and negative predictive value 94% (CI 85.4-100.0%). CONCLUSIONS: The BERT is a reliable scoring system to risk stratify patients with vitreous haemorrhage. Its high sensitivity and negative predictive value can help clinicians to detect high-risk patients.

A rare case of orbital inflammation complicated by hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

We report a rare case of orbital inflammation complicating hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) patient. HLH is a rare, life-threatening disorder characterized by uncontrolled activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, natural killer cells, and macrophages. A 37-year-old man known to have HLH, presented with a left periorbital swelling that was unsuccessfully treated as an orbital cellulitis, with intravenous antibiotics. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the orbits revealed inflammatory changes with no orbital collection or paranasal sinus disease. An orbital biopsy demonstrated lymphoplasmacytic infiltrations admixed with histiocytes. The patient deteriorated and was admitted to the intensive care unit. Ensuing blood results supported a diagnosis of HLH, and the patient responded well to subsequent immunosuppression. This case report highlights the importance of re-considering the diagnosis of orbital cellulitis in treatment resistant cases, particularly in the absence of sinus disease. To our knowledge, this is the third case of orbital inflammation associated with HLH patients.

Severe psychosis due to Cushing's syndrome in a patient with a carcinoid tumour in the lung: a case report and review of the current management.

Severe psychosis in patients with Cushing's syndrome is a rare occurrence and can be extremely resistant to medical therapy. We describe a case of a 51-year-old Afro-Caribbean female patient, with refractory severe hypertension (initially resistant to polypharmacy) and gradual development of severe psychosis secondary to ectopic Cushing's syndrome, who was subsequently diagnosed to have a carcinoid tumour in her lung. Her psychotic episodes - secondary to hypercortisolism and initially refractory to the medical therapy - subsided only after the resection of the carcinoid tumour in her right lower pulmonary lobe. Early localization and appropriate surgical resection of the ectopic ACTH-secreting tumour can be of immense value to the successful alleviation of the psychotic episodes of the patients with ectopic Cushing's syndrome.