[Abnormal ocular findings in the nursery and in the first few weeks of life: a mandatory, yet difficult and neglected screening]. / Anomalies oculaires en maternité et dans les premières semaines de vie: un dépistage obligatoire, difficile et négligé

Recommendations issued by the French Health Ministry include ocular screening in the first days of life and at 2 and 4 months. The aim is to detect ocular abnormalities requiring early treatment, in order to improve the prognosis. Paediatricians working in the nursery should therefore be trained in order to perform ocular screening, which requires using an ophthalmoscope. This is not yet common practice in all nurseries. Red-reflex is one of the most important elements of testing. Possible diagnoses suggested by abnormal red-reflex include retinoblastoma, or abnormalities of eye transparency, such as cataract. Any detected ocular abnormality requires specialised consultation. At the present time, paediatricians remain insufficiently aware and trained about ocular screening.

[Value and results of radioguided deep spinal biopsy]. / Intérêt et résultats de la biopsie osseuse profonde rachidienne radioguidée.

MATERIAL AND METHODS. 76 percutaneous vertebral biopsies were performed with fluoroscopic guidance at the Radiology B Service, Hôpital Cochin in Paris, from November 1991 to March 1994. There were 12 cervical, 23 thoracic, 45 lumbar and sacral biopsies. There were 71 patients (28 women and 43 men), aged 22 to 88 years old (mean age 55.9). The needle used was either a trophine needle (Mazabraud) or a cutting needle (Surcut) or both. We have been doing vertebral percutaneous biopsies for 20 years in our radiology Service, and we published a review of 100 cases in 1983. The aim of this second review is to actualize the technique and the results. RESULTS. An accurate diagnosis was made in 80% of all cases. Diagnosis were: malignancy (34 cases), infection (21 cases), benign compression fracture (10 cases), miscellaneous (11 cases). There were two complications, one at the cervical spine (aggravation of a cervical cord compression) and one at the thoracic spine (pneumothorax). CONCLUSION. Percutaneous vertebral biopsy under fluoroscopic guidance is a safe and reliable method of obtaining a diagnosis in different spine lesions, avoiding thus, in most cases, a surgical procedure.

[Ocular toxoplasmosis in AIDS]. / Emergence de la toxoplasmose oculaire au cours du SIDA.

Since 1983, we have seen 11 cases of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis in patients with AIDS. Ocular toxoplasmosis appears to be a growing concern in AIDS: 3.3% in 1983, 6.1% in 1988 and 5.9% during the first trimester of 1989. Anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibody titers in the aqueous humour were not conclusive, therefore the diagnosis was based on ophthalmoscopic criteria and on a rapid response to specific therapy. As for brain toxoplasmosis, treatment must be continued indefinitely to prevent relapse. Seven out of 11 patients had cerebral toxoplasmosis, which was diagnosed by computerized tomography (CT) scan. This suggests that a neurological evaluation and a brain CT scan should be performed in all AIDS patients with toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis.