Evaluation of variations of optic nerve course in relation to posterior paranasal sinuses in MDCT in a tertiary care center of Nepal: a retrospective cross-section study.

Background: The proximity of optic nerves to the posterior paranasal sinuses (PNS) is a critical consideration in preventing optic nerve injuries during functional endoscopic sinus surgery. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 367 patients aged 13 years and above. Four radiologists, each with 2-6 years of experience, evaluated computed tomography scans of the PNS and the head of these patients. The optic nerves were classified into four types based on DeLano's classification, and their respective prevalence rates were determined. Additionally, the prevalence of optic nerve dehiscence and pneumatization of the anterior clinoid process was assessed. Results: A total of 734 optic nerves were evaluated and categorized into four groups as per DeLano's classification. The most common type was classified as type 1 optic nerve, representing 65.4% of all optic nerves. Types 2, 3, and 4 optic nerves accounted for 16.9, 8.6, and 9.1%, respectively. The prevalence rates of type 1, type 2, type 3, and type 4 optic nerves were 76.6, 24.5, 12.3, and 14.4%, respectively. Optic nerve dehiscence was observed in 14.3% of cases, with a prevalence of 21.2% in the study. Type 3 optic nerves were most commonly associated with dehiscence, with 49.2% of them showing dehiscence in their course through the ethmoid or sphenoid sinus. The prevalence of pneumatization of the anterior clinoid process in the study population was 28.3%, with type 3 optic nerves being the most frequently associated. Conclusion: An understanding of the relationship between optic nerves and posterior PNS, as well as awareness of optic nerve dehiscence, is essential in preventing injuries during sinus surgeries. Type 1 optic nerve predominates among Nepalese patients visiting our hospital.

Computed Tomography Chest Findings in COVID-19 Patients.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 which has caused significant morbidity and mortality around the world has been declared by the World Health Organization to be a global health emergency. Our objective was to find out the lung parenchymal patterns commonly evident in high resolution Computed Tomography in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary multi-specialty hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. With ethical clearance from the institutional review board, a total of 235 patients with positive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for COVID-19 and having respiratory symptoms were included in the study. High Resolution Computed Tomography images of chest were retrieved from picture archiving and communication systems retrospectively and studied for the findings commonly attributed to COVID-19 pneumonia. The data was then analyzed using Stata version 14 (Stata Corp, College Station, TX, USA). Descriptive statistics were presented as mean and median while chi-square test was used to assess the association between socio-demographic characteristics and CT severity indices. RESULTS: Out of 235 patients, 174 (74.0%) were males and 61(26%) were females with a mean age of 54.8±14.5 years. The most commonly encountered pattern of pulmonary changes was bilateral involvement in 222 (94.5%) patients followed by ground-glass opacities in 218 (92.8%) patients and peripheral predominance of ground-glass opacities in 211 (89.8%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Chest Computed Tomography abnormalities are common in COVID-19 positive patients with respiratory symptoms. These findings can guide in the assessment of the severity of the disease as well as patient management.

Transsellar trans-sphenoidal encephalocele with cleft lip, cleft palate and agenesis of corpus callosum.

Basal encephalocele is a rare congenital malformation. Among basal encephaloceles, the transsellar, trans-sphenoidal encephalocele is the least common subtype. We present the case of a newborn female, who presented to us with cleft lip and cleft palate. Diagnostic neuroimaging revealed the presence of transsellar trans-sphenoidal encephalocele along with agenesis of the corpus callosum. There are very few case reports of trans-sphenoidal encephalocele with corpus callosum agenesis in a patient with midline cleft lip and palate. In this report, we discuss the clinico-radiological findings of this extremely rare condition and present a brief review of the literature.