Primary placement of a motility coupling post in porous polyethylene orbital implants.

The placement of a motility coupling post (MCP) to integrate the prosthesis with a porous orbital implant may enhance prosthetic motility following enucleation. Previously, MCP placement has required a second operation usually at least 6 months following enucleation. We developed a technique to place an MCP reliably and safely into a porous orbital implant at the time of enucleation. Eligibility criteria included high motivation to achieve maximal prosthetic motility, adequate conjunctiva to ensure desirable wound closure, and isolation of the 4 rectus muscles. Enucleation was performed in standard fashion with implantation of a conical porous polyethylene orbital implant. Implanted MCPs protruded anteriorly 2 to 4 mm. The Tenon capsule and conjunctiva were closed in separate layers over the protruding MCP. Thirty-two patients underwent primary placement. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 33 months (mean, 15 months). Nine MCPs spontaneously exposed within the first 4 months. One additional post autoexposed at 12 months. Three patients underwent a secondary procedure to expose the MCP. There were no cases of infection, explantation, or gross MCP malposition. Minor complications included pyogenic granuloma (n=2) and conjunctival overgrowth (n=1). All patients were successfully fit with prostheses. Prosthetic motility was acceptable in all patients. Motility coupling post placement at the time of enucleation surgery in selected patients is an effective, efficient surgical option. Arch Ophthalmol. 2000;118:826-832

Delayed orbital infection after endoscopic orbital decompression for dysthyroid orbitopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To present a delayed complication of endoscopic orbital decompression that has not been reported previously in the literature. DESIGN: Retrospective non-comparative small case series. PARTICIPANTS: Three patients with dysthyroid orbitopathy. INTERVENTION: The medical records of patients with dysthyroid orbitopathy who underwent endoscopic orbital decompression and subsequently developed orbital infection were reviewed. RESULTS: Three patients with dysthyroid orbitopathy developed orbital infection (cellulitis or abscess) originating from the frontal sinus more than 2 years after their endoscopic orbital decompression surgery. Management required drainage of the abscess, administration of antibiotics, and creation of adequate frontal sinus drainage. CONCLUSIONS: Delayed orbital infection can occur after endoscopic orbital decompression for dysthyroid orbitopathy when the frontal sinus ostium is obstructed by orbital fat or scar tissue. Infection within the frontal sinus can cause secondary orbital cellulitis or abscess. Early signs and symptoms of a frontal sinus infection can be easily misdiagnosed as progression of the patient's thyroid eye disease. Awareness of this possible complication followed by appropriate early intervention will prevent a potentially blinding condition. Furthermore, ever since this complication was observed, the authors' surgical technique of endoscopic decompression has been modified to leave the most anterosuperior portion of the lamina papyracea to prevent fat prolapse and scar formation into the region of the frontal recess.

Ophthalmic plastic applications of acellular dermal allografts.

PURPOSE: Clinical problems of contracted conjunctival fornices, superior sulcus defects, and soft tissue contour defects in the periorbital region have not shown good, sustained results with a range of autologous and alloplastic implants. AlloDerm (Lifecell Corp., Woodlands, TX) is an acellular dermal graft processed from human donor tissue. The authors sought to assess the efficacy of AlloDerm as a soft tissue replacement in a variety of oculoplastic applications. DESIGN: Retrospective, noncomparative case series. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-three patients. METHODS: Applications were broadly classified as barrier/scaffolding (i.e., primary and secondary implant coverage, lid spacer graft) and volume augmentation (i.e., superior sulcus and other periorbital soft tissue contour defects). Barrier grafts were applied as single sheets. Stacked sheets or rolled grafts were used for augmentation. Collectively, this material was used in 29 cases with 3 to 16 months' follow-up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical evaluation of outcome and complications. RESULTS: As a soft tissue scaffolding and barrier implant, AlloDerm persisted sufficiently to permit repopulation with native tissue. Rolled/stacked implants demonstrated unpredictable resorption. Upper eyelid grafts seemed to have higher resorption rates than lower eyelid grafts. One case of anophthalmic superior sulcus augmentation required two revision surgeries to provide sufficient volume augmentation. The grafts were well tolerated, with no cases of infection or explanation. CONCLUSION: Acellular human dermis is an excellent barrier and reconstructive grafting material that provides an alternative to autologous grafts and other alloplastic material, avoids harvesting autologous tissue, possesses excellent handling properties, and is associated with minimal inflammation. Long-term follow-up is required to evaluate persistence.

Prepartum mixed type cavernous-capillary hemangioma arising in nevus flammeus.

OBJECTIVE: Capillary hemangioma may appear de novo and involute during the first decade of life, but rarely during pregnancy. This study describes the clinical and histologic findings of an eyelid mixed type cavernous-capillary hemangioma arising in a nevus flammeus and discusses the differential diagnosis of this lesion. STUDY DESIGN: Clinicopathologic case report. INTERVENTION: A reddish, protruding eyelid mass arising from a nevus flammeus at the eyelid margin in a 26-year-old woman was monitored during her pregnancy. Postpartum, the mass was excised and examined histologically. RESULTS: The lobulated tumor recurred during the second pregnancy and partially regressed following delivery. It was composed of mixed elements of cavernous and capillary hemangioma that superficially resembled Kaposi sarcoma, set against the background of a nevus flammeus. CONCLUSION: The differential diagnosis of discrete prepartum vascular tumor arising in nevus flammeus includes mixed capillary-cavernous hemangioma, pseudo-Kaposi sarcoma, granuloma gravidarum, and angiodermatitis. A common stimulus during pregnancy may be the inciting factor for the development of these tumors.

Giant cell angiofibroma of the orbit and eyelid.

PURPOSE: To report the clinicopathologic features of a newly recognized tumor, giant cell angiofibroma. DESIGN: Observational case series. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical and histopathologic features of giant cell angiofibroma. METHODS: Light and electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry of five cases of giant cell angiofibroma. RESULTS: A total of five patients (4 women and 1 man) are described: two presented with a painless mass in the eyelid, two with a mass in the orbit, and one presented with a conjunctival lesion. All lesions were well demarcated with no capsule and were composed of blood vessels, a patternless spindle-shaped cell proliferation with a solid and pseudovascular appearance, and multinucleated giant cells. Both spindle-shaped and giant tumor cells were intensely positive for CD34 and vimentin. CONCLUSION: Giant cell angiofibroma resembles solitary fibrous tumor and giant cell fibroblastoma and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of spindle-cell tumors in the eyelid, orbit, and conjunctiva.

Orbital venous anomalies demonstrated by spiral computed tomography.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the radiographic appearance of acute hemorrhage in orbital venous malformations and how spiral computed tomography (CT) can aid in the diagnosis of these lesions in patients with atypical presentations. DESIGN: Case series from the Eye Plastics and Orbital Service of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. PARTICIPANTS/INTERVENTION/MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Three patients who initially presented with signs and symptoms of orbital hemorrhage are presented. Their initial clinical and radiologic imaging, follow-up examination, and results of the spiral CT are summarized. RESULTS: The initial CT in each case showed a well-localized homogeneous mass in the posterior/inferior orbit. In the two cases without antecedent trauma, it was difficult to distinguish these localized hemorrhages from possible intraorbital neoplasm. On resolution of the hemorrhage, these three patients had different presentations. The first patient had intermittent proptosis that was documented by increase in exophthalmometry measurement before and after Valsalva maneuver (symptomatic and with clinical signs). The second patient had a subjective orbital pressure sensation, but no visible change by examination (symptomatic but without clinical signs). The third patient was not symptomatic and had no significant clinical findings (asymptomatic and without clinical signs). Spiral CT showed the presence of an enlarging inferior orbital mass during Valsalva maneuver, which was not apparent pre-Valsalva in all these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Localized hemorrhages easily may be mistaken for solid intraorbital masses: therefore, accurate determination can avoid unnecessary surgical intervention. Patients with orbital venous malformation may or may not have symptoms and clinical signs of intermittent proptosis. After the resolution of the initial hemorrhage, spiral CT during Valsalva maneuver using a single breath hold technique is useful in showing the presence of this venous anomaly when suspicious of this entity, even in patients who are asymptomatic.

Orbital granulocytic sarcoma in an elderly patient.

PURPOSE: To report a 71-year-old woman with acute myelogenous leukemia in remission who developed orbital granulocytic sarcoma. METHODS: The patient was referred for acute proptosis and decreased vision of the right eye. Computed tomography of the orbits demonstrated a right extraconal mass compressing the optic nerve. A right lateral orbitotomy was performed, and a portion of the mass was excised for diagnostic purposes and orbital decompression. RESULTS: Histopathologic and immunohistochemical evaluation disclosed orbital granulocytic sarcoma. With chemotherapy and radiation, vision remained stable and right proptosis resolved. CONCLUSIONS: Orbital granulocytic sarcoma is usually diagnosed in children with a history of acute myelogenous leukemia. This case demonstrated that this entity may also occur rarely in older patients with a history of acute myelogenous leukemia.

Effect of sucralfate and basic fibroblast growth factor on fibrovascular ingrowth into hydroxyapatite and porous polyethylene alloplastic implants using a novel rabbit model.

This study investigated the effects of sucralfate and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on fibrovascular ingrowth into porous implant materials. Seven white female New Zealand rabbits underwent bilateral abdominal incisions through which porous orbital spherical or and disc-shaped implants were inserted between their abdominal muscles. Eighty hydroxyapatite (HA) and porous polyethylene (PP) implants, each material of different pore sizes, were implanted. These implants were either uncoated or coated with suspensions of polyhydroxymethylmethacrylate (hydron); hydron and sucralfate; or hydron, sucralfate, and bFGF. Implants were harvested after 1, 3, or 6 weeks. Observers classified the extent of fibrovascular ingrowth in a blind manner using light microscopy. All discs and spheres showed fibrovascular ingrowth; at 6 weeks, almost all implants were fully vascularized. Although demonstrating different degrees of fibrovascular maturity, all 3- and 6-week discs showed complete cellular ingrowth. Overall, the most extensive and mature fibrovascularization was found in HA implants, regardless of shape, duration of implantation, or angiogenic enhancing agent used. Thus, this study indicates that fibrovascular ingrowth into porous implants is more greatly affected by implant porosity and composition than by addition of angiogenic enhancing agents. Further in vivo study, using other potential angiogenesis-promoting agents as well as implants with different pore characteristics, is warranted using this reliable and predictable animal model.

Surgical methods and approaches in the treatment of orbital disease.

Many orbital disorders require surgical intervention to establish the diagnossis or to provide the basis for planning the appropriate surgical procedure in these selected cases. The indications for biopsy versus complete surgical excision of orbital lesions are outlined. The nature of the specific techniques, including fine-needle aspiration biopsy, endoscopic biopsy, anterior orbitotomy, lateral orbitotomy, and multidisciplinary combined approaches to the orbit is discussed. Separate sections, with an emphasis on clinical radiographic correlates, are devoted to the commonly encountered surgical disorders, thyroid orbital decompression and acquired anophthalmia (evisceration, enucleation, and exenteration).

Pseudodacryocystitis arising from anterior ethmoiditis.

The contiguous spread of inflammation from infected ethmoid sinuses to the surrounding tissues of the lacrimal drainage system can produce symptoms easily confused with acute dacryocystitis. We report the cases of two patients with presumed dacryocystitis whose patency of the lacrimal apparatus was established by probing, irrigation, and dacryocystography. Computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated opacification of anterior ethmoid air cells adjacent to the region of the lacrimal sac. A greater awareness of this diagnostic possibility of pseudodacryocystitis arising from anterior ethmoiditis, together with improved noninvasive imaging techniques, will likely increase the observed incidence of this disease. This distinction is important since anterior ethmoidectomy, rather than dacryocystorhinostomy, is the treatment of choice when such pseudodacryocystitis proves unresponsive to antibiotic therapy. In misdiagnosed patients who undergo dacryocystorhinostomy, it is the coincidental limited anterior ethmoidectomy and not the lacrimal-nasal fistula that provides the cure.

Complications of porous spherical orbital implants.

PURPOSE: To determine the complications observed with using porous spherical orbital implants (hydroxyapatite and porous polyethylene) and the factors leading to their occurrence. METHODS: A total of 101 cases of porous spherical orbital implantation by five ophthalmic surgeons were reviewed retrospectively. The demographic data, diagnosis, prior surgery, type and technique of surgery, implant characteristics and prosthesis fitting were described in patients with complications. RESULTS: Eleven of the 101 patients had implant exposure. There were six male (1 with bilateral involvement) and four female patients, ranging in age from 2 to 71 years. Preoperative diagnosis included trauma in five patients, nontrauma in five, and tumor in one. Seven had prior eye surgeries. Three patients underwent evisceration, whereas eight underwent enucleation. Eight hydroxyapatite and three porous polyethylene implants were used with diameters of 16 to 20 mm. Three were unwrapped, six were wrapped in sclera, and two were wrapped in preserved fascia. Exposures, which generally occurred within 1 year, were grouped into small (1-5 mm), medium (6-10 mm), and large (> 10 mm). One delayed case occurred after drilling. Small stable exposures were managed conservatively. Larger exposures were managed either by implant revision or replacement. All patients were fit ultimately with a prosthesis. Histopathologic findings of explanted spheres showed fibrovascularization limited to the periphery with moderate inflammatory reaction. CONCLUSION: Complications were significantly higher in cases of eviscerations than enucleations. Complications occurred in implants either unwrapped or wrapped in homologous grafts. None of the autologous wrapping had exposure. Secondary procedures may initiate exposure when fibrovascular status of implant is inadequate.

Pseudo-entrapment of extraocular muscles in patients with orbital fractures.

Diplopia is a prominent finding in patients who have suffered orbital fractures. If the patient's double vision or ocular motility restriction was caused by soft tissue entrapment into the fracture site, surgery is frequently performed in order to release this entrapment and restore normal eye movement. However, the presence of diplopia should not necessarily be an indication for surgery. Brief case reports are hereby presented to illustrate that the symptoms of diplopia and motility restriction are not always attributable to the presence of orbital fractures that require surgical repair. The purpose of this article is to describe other causes of abnormal ocular motility that are associated with orbital trauma but which are not caused by soft tissue entrapment.