[Neurolaw: its relevance for forensic psychiatry]. / Neurolaw: de relevantie voor de forensische psychiatrie.

BACKGROUND: Neurolaw is a new interdisciplinary area of research which investigates, from different perspectives, the significance of the neurosciences for law. AIM: To clarify the relevance of neurolaw for forensic psychiatry. METHOD: The importance of neurolaw developments for forensic psychiatry was analysed on the basis of recent literature. RESULTS: Some of the developments in the field of neurolaw research concern issues that are currently evaluated by forensic psychiatrists, such as risk of recidivism and legal insanity. CONCLUSION: Developments in neurolaw are relevant for forensic psychiatry in a number of ways. An important problem, not yet resolved, is to what extent psychiatry will be prepared to help in shaping these developments.

Cancer and facial disfigurement: reducing survivors' stigma in social interaction.

Patients with orbital and periorbital cancer expect to be cured or survive for several years after their malignancy is detected and surgically removed. However, despite advancements in reconstructive surgery, survivors often remain facially disfigured and spend significant portions of their lives dealing with stigma, a mark of social disgrace. Although research remains limited, this article describes a qualitative study of social interaction leading to stigma in individuals with facial disfigurement caused by cancer surgery, as well as the experiences of their family members. In particular, the current study focused on interaction between patients and strangers and acquaintances (secondary groups). In-depth interviews with patients and their family members were conducted and analyzed using Grounded Theory. Three primary patterns of interaction were identified: intrusion, sympathy, and benign neglect. Those patterns refer to conditions that are decreasingly favorable to the creation of stigma, where intrusion and sympathy foster stigma but benign neglect does not. Through that knowledge, oncology nurses will be able to better inform patients and family members on the conditions leading to stigma.

[Orbital tumors in children: clinical examination, imaging, specific progression]. / Les tumeurs d'orbite de l'enfant : examen clinique, paraclinique, diagnostic et particularités évolutives.

"Orbital tumors (OT) are neoplasms of the bony orbit and contents except for the eyeball." Given this definition, we exclude the retinoblastomas, which are the most frequent tumors of this anatomical area in the pediatric population. Although these tumors are rare, there is a great variety of etiologies. Among them, the most frequent OTs in childhood are rhabdomyosarcomas and metastatic tumors: metastatic neuroblastomas and leukemias (chloromas). Moreover, adult and pediatric varieties of OT are made up of two clusters of distinctive histological entities. Examination must be careful: measurement, direction of proptosis, impairment of ocular motility, compressive optic neuropathy, strabismus, etc. Age at onset as well as unilateral or bilateral proptosis are important features. Benign tumors such as dermoid cysts or hemangiomas grow slowly, whereas rapid growth suggests a malignant tumor. Fundi and visual acuity should be checked. The general examination focuses especially on cutaneous abnormalities such as café au lait spots and subcutaneous nodules in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a hemangioma that often involves the cutaneous portion of the eyelid. When a metastatic tumor is suspected, abdominal palpation and ultrasonography must be performed. Ultrasonography leaves the posterior third of the orbit inaccessible to exploration. The depth to which it can penetrate the orbit is limited (20mm). Most of the time, standard x-rays, CT, and MR imaging allow for an adequate assessment and usually provide a diagnosis. In children, CT and MRI sometimes require anesthesia to be properly performed.