Parálisis de la convergencia secundaria a amoxicilina / Convergence palsy secondary to amoxicillin

CASO CLÍNICO: Presentamos el caso de un varón de 11 años, con diplopía aguda en la visión cercana, secundario a una parálisis de la convergencia transitoria, posiblemente relacionada con la toma de amoxicilina. DISCUSIÓN: La parálisis de la convergencia es un trastorno poco frecuente. Repasamos las causas que la pueden producir, e identificamos a la amoxicilina como agente etiológico. Es el primer caso comunicado (AU)

CASE REPORT: We present the case of an 11-year-old boy with acute diplopia in near vision secondary to transient convergence palsy, possibly in relation to amoxicillin. DISCUSSION: Convergence palsy is an uncommon eye disorder. The causes are reviewed, and amoxicilin is identified as presumptive etiologic agent. This is the first case reported

[Hyaluronidase: Here we go again]. / Hyaluronidase: plaidoyer pour un retour.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the benefits and lateral effects of hyaluronidase (H) use in ophthalmologic anaesthesia and to address its unavailability in current practice in France. DATA SOURCES: The Medline data bank and the Cochrane database were consulted. The keywords employed separately or in combination were: H, regional anaesthesia, ophthalmologic surgery, local aneasthetics myotoxicity, diplopia. STUDY SELECTION: Original articles since 1949 were selected. We also selected isolated clinical cases according to their relevance compared with the existing literature. DATA SYNTHESIS: H is a "spreading factor" of animal origin used as an adjuvant in ophthalmic anaesthesia for more than half a century. It allows a moderate better block quality with a slightly quicker onset. It also limits the acute intraocular pressure increase secondary to periocular injection and seems to have a protective effect against local anaesthetics myotoxicity resulting in postoperative strabismus. However, during these last 50 years, numerous studies often ended in divergent results. CONCLUSION: H seems to be a useful adjuvant in ophthalmologic anaesthesia in spite of his current unavailability in France. Recombinant H could be the solution in the near future.

Recovery of posterior communicating artery aneurysm-induced oculomotor palsy after coiling.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recovery of oculomotor (cranial nerve [CN] III) palsy after surgery of posterior communicating artery (PcomA) aneurysms has been well documented, but recovery after coiling is poorly understood. In this study, we report the recovery after coiling of PcomA aneurysm-induced CN III palsy in 21 patients at follow-up of 1 to 7 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 135 patients with a PcomA aneurysm treated with coils between January 1997 and December 2003, there were 21 patients with initial CN III dysfunction who were selected and reevaluated. There were 2 men and 19 women with a mean age of 54.9 years. In 17 patients, CN III palsy was associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Timing of treatment after onset of symptoms was 1 to 3 days in 5 patients, 4 to 14 days in 13, and more than 14 days in 3. Mean size of the aneurysm was 9 mm. Initial CN III palsy was complete in 15 patients and partial in 6. Mean follow-up after coiling was 3.7 years (range, 1-7 years). RESULTS: Of 15 patients with initial complete CN III palsy, recovery was complete in 3 and partial in 10. In 2 patients, complete CN III palsy was unchanged. Of 6 patients with initial partial CN III palsy, recovery was complete in 5 and partial in 1. Initial partial CN III palsy was the only predictor of complete recovery at follow-up. CONCLUSION: PcomA aneurysm-induced CN III palsy improves or cures after coiling in most patients. Complete recovery is more likely with initial partial dysfunction of the nerve.

A review of ocular manifestations in intracranial hypotension.

OBJECT: Intracranial hypotension (ICH) can present with a wide variety of visual symptoms and findings. Deficits in visual acuity and visual fields as well as ophthalmoplegia due to cranial nerve dysfunction have been frequently described. The aim of this review was to identify the most commonly reported ocular manifestations associated with ICH. METHODS: The authors conducted a review of the literature to date to identify all studies of patients with ICH and ocular manifestations. RESULTS: The most commonly encountered cranial nerve deficit resulting from ICH (> 80% of reported cases) is an abducens nerve paresis, which may occur unilaterally or bilaterally. Although less common, oculomotor and trochlear nerve palsies have been reported as well. The optic nerve complex is frequently involved in ICH and may manifest as deficits in visual acuity and field cuts. Visual deficits and ophthalmoplegia improved following appropriate management in 97% of reported cases. CONCLUSIONS: Intracranial hypotension can present with a wide spectrum of visual deficits, the causes of which are multifactorial. Cranial nerve paresis, especially of the abducens nerve, is frequently reported. The majority of symptoms and cranial nerve deficits reviewed respond favorably to conservative management, epidural blood patch administration, or in a minority of cases, surgical intervention.

Symptomatic pituitary metastases.

OBJECT: The diagnosis and treatment of metastasis to the pituitary gland can be difficult to determine. The goal of this study was to analyze the clinical presentation, treatment, and prognosis of patients who presented with symptomatic pituitary metastasis. METHODS: The cases of 36 patients with symptomatic pituitary metastases were reviewed. The most common primary cancers were breast (33%) and lung (36%). The presenting symptoms included diabetes insipidus, anterior pituitary insufficiency, and retroorbital pain. The overall median length of patient survival following diagnosis of pituitary metastasis was 180 days. In 20 patients (56%), symptoms stemming from pituitary metastasis were the first manifestation of illness. Local control of tumor was associated with significant improvement in survival times (p < 0.05) and amelioration of disabling symptoms including painful ophthalmoplegia and visual field deficits. CONCLUSIONS: Aggressive treatment including both surgical decompression and radiation therapy improves the quality of life in patients suffering from symptomatic pituitary metastasis.

Intraoperative recordings of evoked extraocular muscle activities to monitor ocular motor nerve function.

During 22 operations in 18 patients, we stimulated the ocular motor nerves electrically, intracranially, and recorded compound muscle action potentials (CMAP) directly from the extraocular muscles with a ring electrode that we developed. Recording electrodes were applied in 52 instances to the superior rectus, medial rectus, superior oblique, or lateral rectus muscle and to the levator palpebrae superioris in 2 instances; CMAP were recorded successfully from 22 muscles. Evoked CMAP were not recorded in 2 instances because of problems with recording equipment; in the remaining 30 instances, no evoked CMAP were recorded because 1) the oculomotor or abducens nerve was not exposed during the operation; or 2) the recording electrode on the superior oblique muscle had not been properly placed to record trochlear nerve CMAP. Placement of this electrode is difficult. Ocular motor nerve function was analyzed preoperatively and postoperatively to evaluate the usefulness of this intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring method in preventing damage to ocular motor nerves. The results of this study showed that monitoring enables surgeons to locate precisely ocular motor nerves that would otherwise have been overlooked and thus possibly injured during surgery. Monitoring results also confirmed the surgeons' visual findings, thus helping the surgeons operate with greater confidence. Further, intraoperative monitoring provided us with some insights into the pathophysiology of ocular motor nerve dysfunction caused by skull base lesions; we documented electrophysiologically the occurrence of the slowing of conduction in the ocular motor nerves. We conclude that monitoring ocular motor nerve CMAP can reduce the incidence of surgical complications such as functional blindness due to inadvertent sectioning of one of these nerves and that it would be worthwhile to conduct studies of this technique in many more cases to validate our findings.

Superior oblique paresis after blepharoplasty.

A case of superior oblique paresis is presented which appeared to be due to cautherization of the superior oblique tendon. The torsional diplopia and head tilt were corrected with recession of the contralateral inferior rectus muscle.