Severe Ocular Complications After Blepharoptosis Correction in the Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy Patient: Literature Review and Case Presentation.

BACKGROUND: Blepharoptosis correction in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) patients may result in severe ocular complications owing to lagophthalmos and ophthalmoplegia. Managing the acute episode to prevent further aggravation of the keratopathy or blindness is of paramount importance. METHODS: A review of the literature for severe chemosis, keratopathy, and corneal ulceration in the patient population was performed using the PubMed database, with key words including ptosis surgery, ptosis correction, ptosis repair, and oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy. A retrospective review of all patients with blepharoptosis from a single surgeon from September 2009 and May 2017 was performed, selecting those with OPMD who underwent blepharoptosis correction. RESULTS: Our literature review revealed a total of 15 articles after excluding repeated articles and selecting those meeting our inclusion criteria. A total of 232 OPMD patients underwent blepharoptosis correction. Severe ocular complications were noted in 7 patients, with treatment unspecified. For 9 years, 2 OPMD patients at our institute underwent blepharoptosis correction, with one developing severe acute keratitis, chemosis, and corneal ulceration due to lagophthalmos and ophthalmoplegia. Use of the temporary drawstring tarsorrhaphy and topical eye drop treatment for 2 weeks led to resolution of corneal ulcerations without necessitating further intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Severe ocular complications may occur after blepharoptosis correction in OPMD patients, potentially owing to lagophthalmos and ophthalmoplegia. Temporary drawstring tarsorrhaphy is an effective option to treat these adverse outcomes.

Mitochondrial Neurogastrointestinal Encephalomyopathy Syndrome Treated with Stem Cell Transplant: A Case Series and Literature Review.

Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive multisystem disorder caused by nuclear TYMP gene mutations, which leads to deficiency in thymidine phosphorylase enzyme. This deficiency then leads to mitochondrial dysfunction, which causes the features characteristic of this syndrome, including severe muscle wasting, gastrointestinal dysmotility, leukoencephalopathy, peripheral neuropathy, and ophthalmoplegia. Here, we present a case series of 3 patients with mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy from Saudi Arabia who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplant at King Faisal Specialist Hospital (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). Two patients died within the first year of transplant, and the third is still alive but without improvement in clinical features. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant-related mortality appears to be high; this may at least be partially related to established end-organ effects with decreased performance status. Although allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant clearly affects correction of genetic and biochemical defects in mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy, its ability to reverse or improve established clinical manifestations has not been proven.

Comparison of Two Polypropylene Frontalis Suspension Techniques in 92 Patients With Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy.

PURPOSE: To compare the functional outcome of the polypropylene trapezoid frontalis suspension with the polypropylene modified Crawford frontalis suspension in a large cohort of patients with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy. METHODS: Retrospective, nonrandomized comparative case series. Patients with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy who underwent bilateral polypropylene frontalis suspension were selected for chart review. Main outcome measures were margin reflex distance, duration of surgery, and ptosis recurrence. RESULTS: Ninety-two patients qualified for chart review; 39 patients underwent the trapezoid sling and 53 patients the modified Crawford sling. There was no difference in preoperative margin reflex distance or levator function between the 2 surgical groups. Postoperative improvement in margin reflex distance was 2.95 ± 1.56 mm in the trapezoid group compared with 2.85 ± 1.65 mm in the modified Crawford group (p = 0.67). Duration of surgery was 40.49 ± 13.33 minutes in the trapezoid group compared with 53.77 ± 16.04 minutes in the modified Crawford group (p < 0.001). Five percent of eyes in the trapezoid group had ptosis recurrence compared with 13% of eyes in the modified Crawford group (p = 0.07). CONCLUSION: Both polypropylene frontalis suspension techniques generated an equivalent increase in margin reflex distance. However, the trapezoid frontalis suspension required less operative time and trended toward a lower rate of ptosis recurrence.

Progress on gene therapy, cell therapy, and pharmacological strategies toward the treatment of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.

Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a muscle-specific, late-onset degenerative disorder whereby muscles of the eyes (causing ptosis), throat (leading to dysphagia), and limbs (causing proximal limb weakness) are mostly affected. The disease is characterized by a mutation in the poly(A)-binding protein nuclear-1 (PABPN1) gene, resulting in a short GCG expansion in the polyalanine tract of PABPN1 protein. Accumulation of filamentous intranuclear inclusions in affected skeletal muscle cells constitutes the pathological hallmark of OPMD. This review highlights the current translational research advances in the treatment of OPMD. In vitro and in vivo disease models are described. Conventional and experimental therapeutic approaches are discussed with emphasis on novel molecular therapies including the use of intrabodies, gene therapy, and myoblast transfer therapy.

Factors affecting eyelid crease formation before and after silicone frontalis suspension for adult-onset myogenic ptosis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate factors that affect eyelid crease formation before and after frontalis suspension. DESIGN: Nonrandomized, comparative, interventional case series. METHODS: Sixty-three patients (125 eyes) with myogenic ptosis were included. Data collected included age, gender, previous surgeries, follow up, as well as pre- and postoperative margin reflex distance, palpebral fissure height, and levator function. Intraoperative maneuvers of incorporation of the levator aponeurosis into the skin closure, conservative fat excision, and conservative skin excision were recorded. Pre- and postoperative eyelid creases were graded by 2 masked, independent observers as "good," "fair," or "poor." RESULTS: The weighted κ coefficient between the graders was 0.68 (95% CI, 0.58-0.79) preoperatively and 0.70 (95% CI, 0.61-0.79) postoperatively. Evaluating preoperative eyelid crease grades, there was no significant difference with regard to age or gender (p = 0.83 or 0.69, respectively). Eyelid crease grade correlated with margin reflex distance (p = 0.0004) and palpebral fissure height (p = 0.002). There was no significant correlation of eyelid crease with levator function (p = 0.104). After frontalis sling, intraoperative maneuvers of incorporation of the levator aponeurosis into the incision, skin preservation, and fat preservation correlated with postoperative eyelid crease (p = 0.0004, 0.059, and 0.033, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative levator function in patients with adult onset myogenic ptosis may be an inaccurate measure of true levator palpebrae strength. Reliance on levator function alone in decision making for surgical intervention in these patients may be misguided. The inclusion of the intraoperative maneuvers of incorporation of the levator aponeurosis into the skin incision and preservation of fat and skin results in a stronger eyelid crease after frontalis sling surgery.

Eyelid surgery in ocular myopathies.

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyse surgical outcome and complications in patients with ocular myopathy undergoing ptosis correction and to introduce preoperative prophylactic lower lid elevation in this group. METHODS: The medical records of all ocular myopathy patients who had undergone oculoplastic surgery between June 1995 and May 2006 were obtained. Patients' demographics, surgical details and measurements, and complications were recorded. RESULTS: 29 patients were identified; 21 with chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO), 7 with myotonic dystrophy (MD) and 1 with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD). Then, 61 procedures to adjust eyelid height were performed, comprising levator resection, brow suspension, anterior lamellar repositioning, lower lid elevation and upper lid lowering. Palpebral aperture was significantly increased in all patient groups, by procedure and diagnosis, more significantly following brow suspension compared with levator resection. The patients' feedback was very positive. Post-operative complications were few, included corneal exposure and ulceration, ptosis recurrence, arched brow, and sling infection, all of which were successfully treated. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate subjective and objective benefit following surgery in these patients, with a low complication rate. The use of pre-operative prophylactic lower lid elevation procedures is a promising modality.

Miotomía del cricofaríngeo en el tratamiento de la distrofia muscular oculofaríngea / Cricopharyngeal myotomy in the treatment of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy

La distrofia muscular oculofaríngea (DMOF) es una enfermedad hereditaria autosómica dominante que causa disfagia orofaríngea, ptosis palpebral y debilidad muscular proximal. Es causada por una expresión anormal del triplete GCG del gen PABPN1, situado en el cromosoma 14. El estudio de la disfagia orofaríngea que sufren estos pacientes se basa en la historia clínica, la endoscopia digestiva alta, la radiología con contraste baritado y la manometría esofágica. El diagnóstico definitivo se confirma con el estudio genético. Presentamos 6 casos, 3 de ellos de una misma familia, remitidos a nuestro departamento con el diagnóstico confirmado de DMOF, los cuales se sometieron a una miotomía del cricofaríngeo para conseguir una deglución normal(AU)

Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is an autosomal dominant myopathic disease which provokes oropharyngeal dysphagia, palpabral ptosis and proximal limb weakness. It is the abnormal expression of the GCG triplet in the PABPN1 gene on chromosome 14 that causes this disease. The study of the oropharyngeal dysphagia that these patients suffer from should include upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, barium video-radiology and oesophageal manometry. Genetic study confirms the diagnosis. We report 6 patients (3 of whom were siblings) referred to our department with a confirmed diagnosis of OPMD, who underwent cricopharyngeal myotomy to achieve normal swallowing(AU)

Cricopharyngeal myotomy in the treatment of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.

Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is an autosomal dominant myopathic disease which provokes oropharyngeal dysphagia, palpabral ptosis and proximal limb weakness. It is the abnormal expression of the GCG triplet in the PABPN1 gene on chromosome 14 that causes this disease. The study of the oropharyngeal dysphagia that these patients suffer from should include upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, barium video-radiology and oesophageal manometry. Genetic study confirms the diagnosis. We report 6 patients (3 of whom were siblings) referred to our department with a confirmed diagnosis of OPMD, who underwent cricopharyngeal myotomy to achieve normal swallowing.

Primary bilateral silicone frontalis suspension for good levator function ptosis in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.

AIM: To evaluate outcomes of patients with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) with levator function (LF) ≥ 10mm who underwent primary bilateral silicone frontalis suspension. METHODS: 31 patients with OPMD satisfied the following inclusion criteria: LF ≥ 10 mm; no previous eyelid surgery; and pre-operative measurements, silcone frontalis suspension and post-operative measurements performed by a single individual. The following data were collected: age; gender; pre-operative margin reflex distance (MRD), palpebral fissure height (PF), and LF; post-operative MRD, PF and lagophthalmos; follow-up; and complications. RESULTS: Mean age at surgery was 61.5 ± 5.8 years. Pre-operative measurements for MRD, PF and LF were -0.05 ± 0.82 mm (OD), -0.13 ± 0.91 mm (OS); 5.2 ± 1.2 mm (OD), 5.2 ± 1.3 mm (OS); 11.6 ± 1.3 mm (OD), and 11.7 ± 1.3 mm (OS), respectively. Post-operative measurements for MRD and PF were 2.23 ± 0.97 mm (OD), 2.10 ± 1.09 mm (OS), 7.9 ± 1.4 mm (OD), and 7.7 ± 1.6 mm (OS), respectively (all p < 0.0001). The mean follow-up period was 22.8 ± 22.4 months. There was no sling (infection or extrusion) or ophthalmic (significant corneal compromise) complication after the surgery. Six patients (19%) underwent early (within 3 months) tightening of their slings for under correction. Three patients (10%) underwent late (> 39 months) tightening of their frontalis slings for recurrent ptosis after their initial surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Primary bilateral silicone frontalis suspension for good LF ptosis secondary to OPMD appears to be an effective, safe treatment which gives symmetrical upper lid elevation. Early sling adjustment may be required to attain optimal eyelid height and late tightening for expectant loosening of the sling is safe and effective.

Distrofia muscular oculofaríngea: tratamiento quirúrgico / Surgical treatment of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy: report of two cases

Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a rare myopathy that is characterized by ocular and pharyngeal muscle involvement. OPMD typically presents with ptosis, dysarthria, and dysphagia. It can also be associated with proximal and distal extremity weakness. We report two patients with the disease. A 79 years old female presenting with ptosis, dysphagia and a history of three aspiration pneumonias. The patient was subjected to a myotomy of the cricopharyngeal muscle of 4.5 cm of length. The patient had a symptomatic improvement and is in good conditions five months after the operation. A 75 years old male presenting with dysphagia and ptosis. He was operated, performing a myotomy of the cricopharyngeal muscle of 3.5 cm of length. Two and a half months after operation the patient is devoid of dysphagia.

La distrofia muscular oculofaríngea (DMOF) es una enfermedad de carácter hereditario, que cursa con disfagia, ptosis palpebral y debilidad proximal de las extremidades. Para su valoración la realización de manometría y estudio radiológico contrastado pueden ser de gran utilidad a pesar de que el diagnóstico de seguridad se obtiene por el estudio genético del gen PABPN1 del cromosoma 14. La enfermedad se desarrolla al sufrir este gen pequeñas expansiones en el triplete (GCG)7-13. Presentamos dos pacientes diagnosticados genéticamente de DMOF, uno de herencia autosómica dominante y otro de herencia autosómica recesiva, ambos tratados mediante miotomía del cricofaringeo debido a la intensidad de la disfagia. En ambos casos se obtuvo una mejoría clínica evidente después de la intervención.

Risk factors in patients undergoing cricopharyngeal myotomy.

BACKGROUND: Cricopharyngeal myotomy for oropharyngeal dysphagia is designed to improve symptoms, but the operation can result in significant morbidity and even death. METHODS: : A retrospective analysis was carried out of all complications and deaths among 253 patients who had cricopharyngeal myotomy performed by a single surgeon. RESULTS: A single wound infection developed among 15 patients with neurological dysphagia. The same patient subsequently required laryngeal exclusion and tracheostomy. Of 139 patients treated for dysphagia secondary to muscular dystrophy, haematoma formation or infection occurred in four, and eight patients developed postoperative pulmonary complications, four of whom died from respiratory distress syndrome. Two patients with myogenic dysphagia required laryngeal exclusion with a permanent tracheostomy. Infection of the wound or retropharyngeal space was the main problem in 90 patients with a pharyngo-oesophageal diverticulum, affecting 9 per cent of the patients. Fistula was documented in three patients overall (1.2 per cent). Systemic morbidity unrelated to the technique occurred in 26 patients (10.3 per cent). CONCLUSION: Pulmonary aspiration and lethal respiratory distress occurred only in patients with myogenic dysphagia. Local infection was the main complication in those with pharyngo-oesophageal diverticulum. Persistent aspiration can lead to laryngeal exclusion or resection with permanent tracheostomy.

Postoperative complications in patients with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a genetic disease with autosomal dominant transmission particularly common in Quebec where its prevalence is about 1:1000. The main features are bilateral ptosis of the eyelids and dysphagia. These symptoms are frequently treated surgically by levator palpebrae resection (LPR) and cricopharyngeal myotomy (CPM). The objectives of this retrospective chart review were to describe the postoperative complications in OPMD patients undergoing LPR or CPM and to determine their incidence. METHODS: Medical records of all OPMD patients who had either LPR or CPM between 1997 and 2002 were reviewed. The following complications were collected: death, pneumonia, aspiration pneumonitis, airway obstruction, reintubation, and severe coughing and choking caused by profuse secretions. RESULTS: One hundred and fourteen surgeries on 92 OPMD patients were studied. Fifty-nine were LPR under general anesthesia (LPR-GA) and 22 were LPR under local anesthesia (LPR-LA). Thirty-three surgeries were CPM, all under general anesthesia. There was no death or reintubation. Patients who had LPR-LA had shorter postanesthesia care unit (P<0.001) and ambulatory surgery unit (P<0.001) stays than those who had LPR-GA. Complications were more frequent after CPM than LPR-GA (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The complication rate after LPR was low. Both local and general anesthesia are safe alternatives in OPMD patients operated for LPR. Patients having CPM presented more respiratory complications than those having LPR.

Reconstructive rhytidectomy?

Muscular dystrophies are commonly considered hereditary progressive degenerative diseases that affect skeletal and cardiac muscles. Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy is a rare hereditary disorder of later onset consisting of progressive dysphagia and bilateral blepharoptosis unlike the peripheral muscular weakness common to other muscular dystrophies. The symptoms of progressive dysphagia, with bilateral ptosis, usually occur after the age of 40 years. The authors present a patient with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy and chronic facial pain relieved by midface soft tissue support, namely, the reconstructive rhytidectomy.

Long-term results of cricopharyngeal myotomy in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze long-term results of extramucosal cricopharyngeal myotomy in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy. STUDY DESIGN: The preoperative and postoperative evaluations including symptoms, type of feeding, weight, and functional examinations were retrospectively evaluated in 39 patients. Results were defined postoperatively as successful, partial, or failed. SETTING: University hospital. RESULTS: In the short term, 25 patients showed a complete remission of symptoms, 10 showed a marked improvement, and 4 exhibited no improvement at all (success rate of 90%). Long-term evaluation during a mean follow-up of 4 years showed that of the 35 improved patients, 12 exhibited a recurrence of dysphagia (mean time of 39 months). In 3 of these 12 patients, a revision transmucosal endoscopic cricopharyngeal myotomy was performed with a successful outcome in 2. Of the 4 patients who initially showed no improvement, 1 was improved by transmucosal myotomy. CONCLUSION: Extramucosal cricopharyngeal myotomy improves dysphagia in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy patients during the first few years but one third of the patients exhibited a recurrence of symptoms within 3 years. Revision by transmucosal endoscopic myotomy may be performed. EBM RATING: C-4.

Myoblast transfer therapy: is there any light at the end of the tunnel?

Myoblast transfer therapy (MTT) was proposed in the 70's as a potential treatment for muscular dystrophies, based upon the early results obtained in mdx mice: dystrophin expression was restored in this model by intramuscular injections of normal myoblasts. These results were quickly followed by clinical trials for patients suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in the early 90's, based mainly upon intramuscular injections of allogenic myoblasts. The clinical benefits obtained from these trials were minimal, if any, and research programs concentrated then on the various pitfalls that hampered these clinical trials, leading to numerous failures. Several causes for these failures were identified in mouse models, including a massive cell death of myoblasts following their injection, adverse events involving the immune system and requiring immunosuppression and the adverse events linked to it, as well as a poor dispersion of the injected cells following their injection. It should be noted that these studies were conducted in mouse models, not taking into account the fundamental differences between mice and men. One of these differences concerns the regulation of proliferation, which is strictly limited by proliferative senescence in humans. Although this list is certainly not exhaustive, new therapeutic venues were then explored, such as the use of stem cells with myogenic potential, which have been described in various populations, including bone marrow, circulating blood or muscle itself. These stem cells presented the main advantage to be available and not exhausted by the numerous cycles of degeneration/regeneration which characterize muscle dystrophies. However, the different stem candidates have shown their limits in terms of efficiency to participate to the regeneration of the host. Another issue was raised by clinical trials involving the injection of autologous myoblasts in infacted hearts, which showed that limited targets could be aimed with autologous myoblasts, as long as enough spared muscle was available. This resulted in a clinical trial for the pharyngeal muscles of patients suffering from Oculo-Pharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy (OPMD). The results of this trial will not be available before 2 years, and a similar procedure is being studied for Fascio-Scapulo-Humeral muscular Dystrophy (FSHD). Concerning muscular dystrophies which leave very few muscles spared, such as DMD, other solutions must be found, which could include exon-skipping for the eligible patients, or even cell therapy using stem cells if some cell candidates with enough efficiency can be found. Recent results concerning mesoangioblasts or circulating AC133+ cells raise some reasonable hope, but still need further confirmations, since we have learned from the past to be cautious concerning a transfer of results from mice to humans.

Diagnóstico y tratamiento de la distrofia oculofaríngea. Presentación de 3 casos de una misma familia / Diagnosis and treatment of oculopharyngeal dystrophy. Report of 3 cases in the same family

La disfagia orofaríngea es una enfermedad miopática hereditaria transmitida de forma autosómica dominante que cursa con ptosis palpebral, disfagia orofaríngea y debilidad proximal de las extremidades. Fue descrita por primera vez porTaylor en 1915, y en 1998, Brais describió la alteración genética causante de esta enfermedad, una expansión anómala de la tripleta de nucleóticos guanidina-citosina-guanidima (GCG) en el gen PABP2 del cromosoma 14. Los individuos normales poseen la forma homocigótica GCG6 de esta tripleta, mientras que los pacientes con el síndrome descrito presentan la forma heterocigótica GCG6-GCG9. Para el estudio de la disfagia orofaríngea es aconsejable realizar una endoscopia digestiva alta, una videorradiología con bario y una manometría esofágica. Presentamos los casos de 3 hermanos de una misma familia diagnosticados de distrofia oculofaríngea confirmada genéticamente, a los que se realizó una miotomía del músculo cricofaríngeo para conseguir una deglución normal (AU)

Quality of life following surgical treatment of oculopharyngeal syndrome.

Oculopharyngeal syndrome is a hereditary disease mostly affecting French Canadians. Cricopharyngeal myotomy and blepharoplasty are commonly performed on these patients. We reviewed the files of 20 patients who underwent these procedures between June 1986 and June 1999. The average perioperative stay was 4.7 days. The nine patients still alive were contacted and answered a telephone survey on their quality of life. None reported postoperative complications. Myotomy significantly improved the medical domain of their quality of life as confirmed by improvement in the dysphagia for solids, food incarceration, duration of meals, and choking during meals. The psychological domain also improved, namely, appetite and interest in food. The effects of blepharoplasty were also notable. Long-term satisfaction is reported by the majority of patients up to a maximum of 10 years postoperatively. In conclusion, simple procedures such as blepharoplasty and cricopharyngeal myotomy greatly improved the quality of life of these patients. We therefore recommend early interventions.