The Pattern of Orbital Fractures Managed at Two Referral Centers in Nairobi, Kenya.

Orbital fractures are one of the commonest injuries in mid-face trauma and can lead to significant functional and cosmetic defects. This study was aimed at analyzing the pattern of orbital fractures at 2 referral centers in Nairobi. It was a descriptive prospective hospital-based study of the demographics, etiology, clinico-radiological features, and management modalities among patients presenting with orbital fractures at the University of Nairobi Dental Hospital and Kenyatta National Referral Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. A total of 60 patients (52 males, 8 females; P <0.05) with confirmed orbital fractures were recruited during the 6-months study period. Orbital fractures occurred most frequently in the 21 to 40-year-old age group (80%, P<0.05). The principal etiological factors were motor cycle crashes; 30%, interpersonal violence 23.3%, public vehicle crushes 20%, private vehicle crushes; 10%, injury from flying objects 10% and falls 8.3%. The most commonly affected anatomical sites were the floor (75%), the lateral wall (71.7%), infra-orbital rim (66.7%), zygomatico-frontal suture (63.3%). There were 5 (8.3%) cases of total blindnessThe impure orbital fractures that involve the satellite bones especially the zygomatic complex predominate.

Diagnostic challenges of oral and cutaneous Kaposi's sarcoma in resource-constrained settings.

OBJECTIVES: Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), caused by HHV-8, is the most frequent HIV-associated malignancy worldwide and remains a major scourge in Sub-Saharan Africa. KS is also endemic in much of Africa. There is a risk of misdiagnosis based solely on clinical appearance and haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, especially with other reactive and neoplastic vascular proliferations which occur in the mouth. This study examined oral and cutaneous biopsies from clinically diagnosed lesions of KS in Kenya, using histopathology supplemented with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for HHV-8 as confirmation of diagnosis. METHODS: Biopsies of 49 lesions (28 oral, 21 cutaneous) previously diagnosed as 'KS' were re-examined by H&E staining and IHC targeting HHV-8 LANA-1. Positive controls were sections from embedded BCBL-1 cell lines. Negative controls were from three different HHV-8-negative biopsies. Confirmation of HHV-8 immunohistochemistry was sought by PCR and by determining the HHV-8 ORFK1 subtype. RESULTS: Whilst most cases were confirmed, 12 oral and 4 cutaneous lesions displayed clinical and histological features of KS but were negative to HHV-8 IHC. These oral lesions were re-diagnosed as pyogenic granulomata (n = 6), deep mycosis (n = 1), inflamed mucosa (n = 2) or 'uncertain but not KS' (n = 3). Whilst PCR is usually helpful in differentiating HHV-8 disease, all samples were HHV-8 PCR positive, with identical sequences, suggesting cross-contamination of samples in the original pathology laboratories. CONCLUSION: HHV-8 IHC is essential for the correct diagnosis of KS, but due to the high level of contamination in resource-poor settings, PCR is inadvisable.

Pattern of odontogenic and nonodontogenic cysts.

The jaws are host to a variety of cysts due in large part to the tissues involved in tooth formation. Odontogenic cysts (OCs) are unique in that they affect only the oral and maxillofacial region. There are few studies from sub-Saharan Africa. This study was aimed at describing the pattern of various types of cysts in the oral and maxillofacial region in a Kenyan population. This was done at the Departments of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Oral Medicine and Pathology, University of Nairobi Dental Hospital. This was a retrospective audit. All histopathologic records were retrieved from 1991 to 2010 (19 years) and were counted. The following information was extracted and recorded in a data sheet: age, sex, and the type of cystic lesions. There were 194 cysts (4.56%) diagnosed of 4257 oral and maxillofacial lesions. Of these, 64.4% were from male and 35.6% were from female patients with an age range of 1 to 70 years (mean, 23.76 [SD, 14.05] years; peak and median of 20 years). The most common OCs (57.2%) were dentigerous and radicular, whereas the most common nonodontogenic cyst (42.8%) was nasopalatine duct cyst. Other soft tissue cysts reported were epidermoid, branchial, thyroglossal, dermoid, and cystic hygroma. Oral and maxillofacial cysts are not uncommon in this population, the majority being the OC, dentigerous cyst, followed by the nonodontogenic cyst, nasopalatine cyst. The cysts are male predominant and occur 10 to 15 years earlier compared with those in the white population.

Presentation and management of human lip bites at a Kenyan center: a case series.

PURPOSE: To describe the pattern of presentation and management of human lip bites. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data on patients who presented with human lip bites between 2005 and 2007 were recorded. RESULTS: There were 6 men and 4 women whose ages ranged from 25 to 60 years with varying degrees of lip loss that occurred in different circumstances. Reconstruction using local flaps was carried out in various stages to achieve satisfactory esthetic and functional outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Human lip bites can be repaired at any time of presentation using local flaps with acceptable results. Wound infection is not a major issue following these injuries.

Clinicopathologic features of ameloblastoma in Kenya: a 10-year audit.

This study describes the clinical and pathologic features of ameloblastomas seen in the 2 main craniofacial treatment centers in Kenya in the 10-year period between January 1995 and December 2005. A total of 184 patient records were analyzed for this study. Eighty-two (44.6%) of the patients were male, and 102 (55.4%) were female with an overall age range of 10 to 80 years (mean, 30.2 years; SD, 14.1 years). There was no significant difference in gender presentation of ameloblastomas, although females presented at a slightly older age. The mean age for males was 29.9 years, and for females, it was 30.5 years. Patients generally tended to seek medical advice late, with the mean duration at first presentation of 46.3 months for males and 44.4 months for females. Most of the ameloblastomas (n = 172; 93.5%) were located in the mandible, 11 (6.0%) were in the maxilla, and 1 (0.5%) was in the soft tissues. Presenting symptoms included swelling (n = 182; 98.9%), pain (n = 64; 36.0%), mobile teeth/history of extraction (n = 104; 57.5%), purulent discharge (n = 39; 21.7%) and paresthesia (n = 10; 5.6%). The posterior mandible was the most commonly affected site, whereas maxillary ameloblastomas tended to occur in anterior sites. One hundred fifty-three ameloblastomas (83.2%) were of the solid/multicystic subtype; 8 (5.3%) were unicystic; 1 (0.5%) was of extraosseous origin; 1 (0.5%) was desmoplastic; 9 (6.0%) were malignant, and 12 of the records had no histopathologic pattern specified.

Synchronous occurrence of ossifying fibroma of the mandible and maxilla: a case report.

Although ossifying fibroma (OF) is a slow growing neoplasm, some lesions may behave aggressively, reaching massive proportions that may demand special treatment. Synchronous presentation of this lesion in the maxilla and mandible is a rare occurrence. A case is presented of a 27-year-old woman who manifested synchronous OF lesions in the left maxilla and right mandible. The clinico-radiologic and histopathologic modalities of diagnosing OF are evaluated and discussed.

Concurrent manifestation of clinical hypodontia and blindness: a case report.

A case is reported of a 26-year-old blind man with hypodontia and multiple apparently underdeveloped impacted teeth. The patient reported that he had progressively developed visual impairment at the age of 11 years whence he became totally blind when he turned 12 years. The aim of this report is to open an academic and professional debate on the challenges of its definitive diagnosis and appropriate intervention.Blindness is not reported in any of the previously described syndromes; therefore, concurrent manifestation of "hypodontia, blindness, failure of eruption and digital lesions" can be proposed as a syndrome. However, in the absence of genetic studies, it is difficult to characterize this case with any one of the specifically documented syndromes; therefore, academic and professional discourse is suggested with regard to appropriate intervention.

Clinical features and types of paediatric orofacial malignant neoplasms at two hospitals in Nairobi, Kenya.

AIM: To evaluate the clinical features and histopathological types of orofacial malignant neoplasms in children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study involved patients aged 15 years and below diagnosed with malignancy at two main referral hospitals in Kenya during the period from July, 2008 to December, 2008. A questionnaire and clinical examination chart were used to document data. Data analysis was done using SPSS 12.0 programme. RESULTS: 65 children (44 males, 21 females) with ages ranging from 0.25 to 14 years were evaluated. The main complaints were swelling 61 (94%) and visual disturbance 29 (45%). The mean duration of symptoms was 0.17-36 months. The commonest signs were leucocoria (white reflection from the retina) 23 (35%), proptosis 19 (29%) and loss of vision 15 (23%). The commonest sites were orbit 30 (46%) and maxilla 11 (17%). Most neoplasms were retinoblastoma 26 (40%), followed by 14 (21%) cases of Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) and occurred in patients under 5 years of age (40 cases) followed by 19 cases in children aged 5-10 years. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, malignancies were more common in males than females with most having been diagnosed in children aged less than 10 years. Retinoblastoma and BL were the most common neoplasms.

Xeroderma pigmentosum: a review and case series.

Xeroderma pigmentosa (XP) is a condition inherited as an autosomal recessive trait and is characterized by photosensitivity, pigmentary changes, premature skin ageing and malignant tumour development resulting from the defect in DNA repair. The management of complications of XP, especially orofacial tumours entails an enormous surgical challenge to the clinicians. We present five cases of XP.