Conjunctivochalasis as a Cause of Epiphora and its Histopathological Findings

When examining in the patients with epiphora, it is common to evaluate only the insufficiency or obstruction of lacrimal pathway by irrigation or dacryocystography and to over look the conjunctival conditions near the punctum in most cases. Authors found marked redundancy of conjunctival tissue around the punctal area in 8 patients(12 eyes) who complained of epiphora. They have neither lacrimal pathway insufficiency and obstruction, nor facial palsy or lid laxity that can impass the lacrimal pump action, and also no anatomical anomaly of the puncta. In fluorescein dye dissappearence test of these patients, the clearance of dye was markedly delayed on the lesion site(Grade 3 to 4). Epiphora was dramatically improved after simple resection of redundant conjunctiva under surgical microscope. The Hematoxylin-Eosin and Toluidine-Blue staining of resected conjunctiva revealed infiltration of many inflammatory cells and increase of metachromatic cells in the conjunctival stroma.

Evaluacion clinica y patologica de la rinitis vasomotora / Clinical and pathological evaluation of vasomotor rhinitis

Se presentan los resultados de un estudio hecho en 38 pacientes con diagnostico clinico y por laboratorio de Rinitis Vasomotora y 14 controles, que asistieron a la consulta externa otorrinolaringologica del Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paul, en Medellin, Colombia, entre mayo de 1987 y diciembre de 1988. Se encontro que la RV en nuestro medio es una enfermedad que predomina en mujeres jovenes entre 12 y 34 anos con obstruccion nasal de mas de un ano de evolucion como principal motivo de consulta y tumefaccion de cornetes con buena respuesta vasoconstrictora como hallazgo predominante al examen fisico. Los estudios realizados (IgE serica total, prueba de Anderson, espirometria, recuento de celulas metacromaticas en raspado de mucosa nasal y biopsia de cornete inferior) no fueron de valor diagnostico. Como hallazgo importante se encontro mediante la espirometria, en el 73% de los pacientes, obstruccion pulmonar en ausencia de sintomatologia respiratoria inferior. p<0.05).8

We performed a case-control study of 38 cases of vasomotor rhinitis (VR) diagnosed at the Otorrhinolaryngology Outpatient Clinic at Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paúl, Medellin, Colombia, between May 1987 and December 1988. These cases were proved both clinically and by laboratory evaluation and were compared to 14 controls. VR was predominant in young women aged 12 to 34 years (75%). Nasal congestion of more than one year evolution was the outstanding symptom and edematous turbinates with good vasoconstriction retraction was the predominant sign on physical examination. The tests performed (serum total lgE, Anderson's test, pulmonary function tests, nasal metachromatic cell counts and turbinate biopsy) had no diagnostic value. One Important finding was the spirometric detection of pulmonary obstruction without clinical manifestations that was observed in 73% of the cases (p