[Cavitary choroidal melanoma in a child]. / Mélanome choroïdien kystique chez une enfant.

Uveal melanoma is very rare in children, and in both adults and children it can in rare cases develop intralesional cavities resembling an intraocular cyst. The presence of a solid mass at the base and a thick wall surrounding the cavity can assist in differentiating cavitary melanoma from a benign cyst. We report the case of a 5-year-old girl who presented with a large intraocular pigmented mass in the left eye, showing multiple hollow cavities on ocular ultrasonography, CT scan, and MRI. The patient was treated by enucleation and the pathology confirmed the diagnosis of choroidal melanoma. FISH revealed no aberration in chromosome 3.

[Corneal asphericity in myopes]. / Etude de l'asphéricité cornéenne chez le sujet myope.

PURPOSE: To study the variations of corneal asphericity in a population of myopic patients. METHODS: One hundred consecutive myopic patients were included in this study. The EyeSys videokeratoscope was used to assess the corneal topography of these patients seeking refractive surgery. We compared the results of cycloplegic refractions with the values of the corneal asphericity and mean central keratometry. RESULTS: Mean corneal asphericity was -0.09. Eighty per cent of the myopic patients had a prolate corneal contour, whereas 20% had an oblate corneal contour. No significant relationship was found between the corneal asphericity value and the mean keratometry value or the mean refractive error. CONCLUSION: The mean corneal asphericity in our myopic population was -0.09. This is slightly more than previously reported data in similar studies. No statistically significant relationship was found between corneal asphericity, mean refractive error, and mean keratometry.

Chronic cicatrizing conjunctivitis.

Conjunctival fibrosis may result from chronic inflammation and may lead to alterations of conjunctival architecture. This results in ocular dryness, entropion and trichiasis, and corneal complications. Causes of conjunctival cicatrization are not limited to autoimmune diseases, such as ocular cicatricial pemphigoid, a severe disease associated with poor ocular prognosis. Other well-known causes include thermal and chemical burns, postinfectious conjunctivitis, and Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Ocular rosacea and atopic keratoconjunctivitis often are underdiagnosed causes of conjunctival fibrosis. Medical history, physical exam, and laboratory tests often allow for diagnosis of the underlying disease. Medical management varies according to specific causes, and many surgical strategies are available to restore corneal transparency and normal palpebral architecture.

[Mesothelioma--asbestos in Lebanon: a problem to be considered]. / Mésothéliome--asbeste au Liban: un problème à retenir.

To estimate the incidence of pleural mesothelioma and its relationship with the occupational and environmental exposure to asbestos in Chekka region. Between 1991 and 2000, 22 cases of malignant mesothelioma were diagnosed at Hôtel-Dieu de France Hospital. Eighteen cases were epidemiologically investigated. Fifteen among these 18 patients (83%) had a positive exposure history: exposure was occupational in 11 cases and environmental in 4 cases. The tumor was attributable to Eternit Company in 12 cases among the exposed 15 (80%). These 12 cases were secondary to occupational exposures in 8 and to environmental exposure in 4 cases. Mean latency period between exposition and diagnosis was 29 years. Fifteen patients died from the progression of their disease after a median survival of 8 months. The relationship between pleural mesothelioma and Eternit Company with the related occupational and environmental risk in Chekka region is obvious. The assessment of the incidence needs a national cancer registry. Despite the protective measures taken by the government since 1996, an increase in the incidence is suspected in the coming ten years because of the long latency period of the disease.