The Utility of Preoperative Phenylephrine Testing in Müller Muscle Conjunctival Resection Surgery for Involutional Ptosis.

PURPOSE: Phenylephrine testing prior to Müller muscle conjunctival resection has traditionally been used to predict postoperative outcomes. The purpose of this study is to determine if preoperative phenylephrine testing impacts postoperative changes in eyelid position. METHODS: In this multicenter cross-sectional cohort study, 270 eyelids of participants with involutional ptosis and levator function >12 mm who underwent Müller muscle conjunctival resection were divided into 2 comparison groups. Participants who had preoperative phenylephrine testing served as the control group and those who did not were the study group. The primary outcome measure was postoperative marginal reflex distance from the upper eyelid margin (marginal reflex distance 1 [MRD1]) at the latest follow-up visit. Secondary outcomes included change in MRD1, reoperation rate, and predictive capacity of preoperative phenylephrine testing. RESULTS: Of the 270 eyelids that underwent Müller muscle conjunctival resection, 116 eyelids served as controls and 154 were in the study group. Mean age of participants was 62.6 years. Levator function, resection length, preoperative MRD1, change in MRD1, and latest postoperative MRD1 measures when compared in the control and study groups demonstrated no significance (p > 0.05) via 2-tailed t-test. Postoperative MRD1 was correctly predicted within 1 mm for 60.2% of eyelids that underwent preoperative phenylephrine testing. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative phenylephrine testing does not significantly predict postoperative eyelid elevation following Müller muscle conjunctival resection. Surgeons may thereby reassess the utility of preoperative phenylephrine testing given the lack of influence on surgical outcomes.

Ocular and orbital tumors in childhood.

Pediatric tumors of the eye and orbit can be benign or malignant as well as congenital or acquired and are usually distinctively different than those seen in adults. Although most of these neoplasms are benign (eg, dermoid cyst, chalazion, molluscum), their location near and within a vital organ can result in serious dermatologic and ophthalmologic sequelae. Lesions discussed include vascular lesions, retinoblastomas (the most common primary pediatric intraocular malignancy), rhabdomyosarcoma (the most common primary pediatric orbital malignancy), Langerhans cell histiocytosis, and metastatic lesions to the orbit (neuroblastoma, Ewing sarcoma). Although cysts and ocular melanoma can occur within the pediatric population, these conditions are covered in other contributions in this issue of Clinics in Dermatology.

The association of race with thyroid eye disease presentation and outcomes.

Introduction: Classification of thyroid eye disease (TED) is largely based on guidelines developed in Europe and North America. Few studies have investigated the presentation and treatment of TED in Black populations. The objective is to examine the manifestations of TED in secondary and tertiary care center-based populations with a significant proportion of Black patients. Materials and methods: Retrospective chart review identifying patients with a reported race/ethnicity and a presenting clinical diagnosis of TED at Kings County Hospital and SUNY Downstate Medical Center and affiliated clinics from January 1, 2010 through July 31, 2021. Main outcome measures include age of disease onset, sex, smoking status, insurance status, postal code of residence, clinical exam features, number of follow-up visits, length of follow-up, and treatments received. Results: Of the 80 patients analyzed, 49 were Black (61.2%) and 31 were White (38.8%). Between Black and White patients, there were differences in the mean age of presentation (48.1 [range 21-76] vs 56.8 [range 28-87] years, P=0.03), insurance status (51.0% vs 77.4% private insurance, P=0.02), and mean follow up length among those with multiple visits (21.6 [range 2-88] vs 9.7 [range 1-48] months, P=0.02). The distribution of EUGOGO scores were not significantly different between Black and White patients. On initial presentation, fewer Black patients had chemosis (OR 0.21, 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.57, P=0.002), and caruncular swelling (OR 0.19, 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.59, P=0.002) compared to White patients. During the overall disease course, fewer Black patients had subjective diplopia (OR 0.20, 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.56, P=0.002), chemosis (OR 0.24, 95% CI, 0.09 to 0.63, P=0.004), and caruncular swelling (OR 0.18, 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.51, P=0.001) compared to White patients. Black patients received oral steroids (42.9% vs 67.7%, P=0.03), intravenous steroids (18.4% vs 16.1%, P=0.8), orbital decompression surgery (16.7% vs 6.5%, P=0.19), and teprotumumab (22.9% vs 22.6%, P=0.99) at similar rates. Discussion: Black patients presented with fewer external exam findings suggestive of active TED compared to White patients, but the rate of compressive optic neuropathy and decompression surgery were similar in the two groups. These differences may be due to disease phenotypes, which warrant further study.