[Euthyroid Graves' disease: a case report]. / Le syndrome de Means: à propos d'une observation.

Euthyroid Graves' disease is defined as an ophtalmopathy without any clinical or biological signs of thyroid dysfunction. It highlights the apparent dissociation between orbitopathy and thyroid disease. Diagnosis is often too late while early treatment could really improve functional prognosis. We report a 57-year-old woman who presented with this entity and that illustrates both the diagnostic difficulty and disease course after intravenous corticosteroid therapy.

[Comparison of 2 techniques for evaluating static monocular cyclotorsion with central visual field and scanning laser ophthalmoscope]. / Comparaison de deux techniques d'évaluation de la cyclotorsion monoculaire statique: le champ visuel central et l'ophtalmoscope laser à balayage.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the angles of cyclotorsion measured by central campimetry and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. METHODS: Both methods were applied to each eye of 44 healthy volunteers, aged between 22 and 55 years. The line passing through the fovea and the center of the papilla was drawn on images from the scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO); the line passing through the fixing point and the center of the blind spot was drawn on the charts of the central visual field (VF). Torsion was estimated by the angle between these lines and the horizontal. RESULTS: With the VF method, the excyclotorsion was 5.6+/-2.9 degrees on the right eye and 7.2+/-2.9 degrees on the left eye. With the SLO method, these values were 4.7+/-2.6 degrees and 6.8+/-2.5 degrees , respectively. The measures obtained with both methods correlated significantly, for the right eye and the left eye, as well as for the difference between them. CONCLUSION: Data were in good agreement with the literature. Though slightly greater, values obtained with the scanning laser ophthalmoscope were coherent with campimetric measures. The origin of the greater excyclotorsion of the left eye remains an open issue. This phenomenon must be kept in mind when looking for a pathological between-eye difference.

Interferometric coupling of the Keck telescopes with single-mode fibers.

Here we report successful interferometric coupling of two large telescopes with single-mode fibers. Interference fringes were obtained in the 2- to 2.3-micrometer wavelength range on the star 107 Herculis by using the two Keck 10-meter telescopes, each feeding their common interferometric focus with 300 meters of single-mode fibers. This experiment demonstrates the potential of fibers for future kilometric arrays of telescopes and is the first step toward the 'OHANA (Optical Hawaiian Array for Nanoradian Astronomy) interferometer at the Mauna Kea observatory in Hawaii. It opens the way to sensitive optical imagers with resolutions below 1 milli-arc second. Our experimental setup can be directly extended to large telescopes separated by many hundreds of meters.

The central dusty torus in the active nucleus of NGC 1068.

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) display many energetic phenomena--broad emission lines, X-rays, relativistic jets, radio lobes--originating from matter falling onto a supermassive black hole. It is widely accepted that orientation effects play a major role in explaining the observational appearance of AGNs. Seen from certain directions, circum-nuclear dust clouds would block our view of the central powerhouse. Indirect evidence suggests that the dust clouds form a parsec-sized torus-shaped distribution. This explanation, however, remains unproved, as even the largest telescopes have not been able to resolve the dust structures. Here we report interferometric mid-infrared observations that spatially resolve these structures in the galaxy NGC 1068. The observations reveal warm (320 K) dust in a structure 2.1 parsec thick and 3.4 parsec in diameter, surrounding a smaller hot structure. As such a configuration of dust clouds would collapse in a time much shorter than the active phase of the AGN, this observation requires a continual input of kinetic energy to the cloud system from a source coexistent with the AGN.

[Pyocyanic corneal abscess]. / Abcès cornéens à pyocyanique.

The authors report 3 different cases of pseudomonas abscess of the corneal layers: these occurred; one on a soft lens; the second one apparently without any reason; the last one 2 days after a corneal traumatism. In spite of rapidly administrated antibiotherapy, the abscess spread very rapidly and left a residual corneal macula.

[Photocoagulation in sex-linked heredofamilial retinoschisis]. / La photocoagulation dans le rétinoschisis hérédofamilial lié au sexe.

In a series of 120 eyes of 60 patients in 24 affected families, 28 eyes were treated by photocoagulation in order to stabilize the extension of bullous peripheral retinoschisis to the posterior pole or to prevent retinal detachment. 3 eyes affected by severe retinal detachment in the months following this treatment. After analysis of spontaneous evolution of the untreated eyes and review of literature, the authors conclude that preventive photocoagulation in bullous retinoschisis is not advised, because of spontaneous regression with age and the possibility of complications. Prophylaxis treatment of retinal detachment by encircling the posterior pole by photo-coagulations is discussed.

[Acute strabismus caused by accommodative spasm]. / Strabisme aigu de l'adulte par spasme accommodatif.

Acute strabismus accommodative spasm about an adult. A 17 years old woman presents an acute strabismus with accommodative spasm. The different diagnostics and treatments are evoked.

[Clinical aspects of Coats]. / Aspects cliniques de Coats.

Coats' disease associates on exudative retinopathy to vascular telangiectasis. The authors analyse the different factors which take part to many clinical aspects of the Coats' exudation: the age of the patients and the vascular trouble which causes the exudative retinopathy.

[The treatment of total and consolidated 6th nerve paralysis by transplantation using the Hummelsheim technic]. / Le traitement de la paralysie totale et consolidée du VI la transplantation d'Hummelsheim.

Surgical cure of total and definitive lateral recti paralysis by muscular transplantation technique according to Hummelsheim seems unjustly accused to be responsible for anterior segment ischemia. Eighteen operations of this kin have been performed without any complications and with results that can be considered as satisfactory. Transplantation itself must not exceed 1/4 or at the most 1/3 of the vertical muscles and must imperatively be associated to a weakening of the 2 medial recti.