[Functional amblyopia: a functional MRI evaluation of the visual cortex response after treatment]. / Amblyopie fonctionnelle : évaluation en IRM fonctionnelle de la réponse corticale visuelle après traitement.

PURPOSE: Functional MRI evaluation of the cortical response in treated amblyopic patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinical and functional MRI exploration of ten patients, seven men and three women aged from 21 to 59 years, with strabismus management during childhood. Functional evaluations were performed on a 1.5 Tesla MR device, with four monocular functional sessions, two stimulations per eye. Alternating rest and active phases displayed still and flickering black and white checkerboards with spatial and temporal frequencies of 1 degree/8Hz and 15'/4Hz. Anatomical realignment and statistical analysis were performed using SPM99 (Statistical Parametric Mapping) to compare the four sessions in individuals. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In patients presenting a visual acuity of the amblyopic eye less than 0.7, stimulation of this eye induced lower response in V1, V3, and V5 in comparison with the contralateral eye stimulation. Unexpectedly, in patients recovering normal or subnormal acuity, the amblyopic eye gave comparable or enhanced response in these areas. Additional response was found in the secondary visual cortex, the cuneus, the lingual gyrus, and in parietal, frontal, and orbitofrontal areas. These results suggest a variation in cortical response depending on the efficacy of the treatment. Recovered amblyopic eye, even with acuity less than the contralateral eye, may induce a reinforced cortical sensitivity to visual stimulus. Secondary visual areas may contribute to an attentional process in image perception and analysis. Cortical plasticity may be observed several years after amblyopia treatment. CONCLUSION: Our study substantiates the importance of an effective and early treatment of functional amblyopia, inducing cortical plasticity with reinforced attention and sensitivity to visual perception.

[Difficulties in the surgical treatment of hyperthyroid myopathy]. / Difficultés du traitement chirurgical des myopathies hyperthyroïdiennes.

Surgery can help patients affected with Graves' myositis. This surgery is very delicate because it is performed on muscles modified with retractile sclerosis transforming muscular fibers into fibrous and rigid strings. The surgical treatment must be decided with endocrinologists. Many surgical stages are usually necessary. Reunion procedures must be chosen, while unpredictable muscular resections must be banished.

[Oculocerebral anomalies in Walker's lissencephaly]. / Les anomalies oculo-cérébrales au cours de la lissencéphalie de Walker.

Two new cases of Walker's lissencephaly are reported. In this disease first described by Walker in 1942 important cerebral malformations and various ocular anomalies are associated. The main cerebral malformations consist of hydrocephalus and agyria, and the ocular anomalies concern the anterior segment as well as the retina which is frequently dysplastic. The originality of our cases is due to the retina which was not dysplastic but showed particular modifications which are discussed. Moreover, in the second case the cerebral cortex was rather microgyric. The aspect of the ocular lesions and of some of the cerebro-meningeal findings bring the authors to discuss the autosomal recessive inheritance proposed by some neuropathologists; these aspects can suggest a possible foetopathy.

[Electroretinography in nephronophthisis. Role of the Senior-Loken syndrome]. / L'électrorétinogramme dans la néphronophtise. Place du syndrome de Senior-Loken

The authors report 20 cases of a syndrome named nephronophtisis and probably the same as the syndrome of medullar cystic disease. In all cases systematic electroretinography is performed. Nine cases show important deterioration of the outline. These cases can be included in the syndrome of Senior-Loken. The pathogenesis and familial character of this disease are discussed. The disturbances that appeared between the ocular and renal lesions suggest that there are probably two genes rather than a single pleiotropic gene.