Complications of catheters with an implantable chamber: About 26 cases.

BACKGROUND: Implant port catheters have became essential tools in the management of patients receiving intravenous chemotherapy. However; these devices expose to significant complications. We report an experiment aimed at studying the prevalence of complications induced by implant port catheters and the risk factors that result. METHODS: This is a retrospective study over one year (from January, to December 2019) including 100 patients treated in the carcinology department of our hospital and having presented complications from their port catheters implantable. RESULTS: During the study period, 100 patients benefited from placement of the implantable chamber catheter. The average age is 53years with extremes of 25years and 72years. Twenty-six percent of patients had at least one complication. Those complications were mechanical in 53.84% of the patients, infectious in 19.23% and thromboembolic in 19.23%. DISCUSSION: Patients experiencing complication did not differ with respect to age, body mass index, cancer category, medical and surgical history, and insertion side of the implantable chamber catheter.

[Fundus autofluorescence. Has it a place in the management of diabetic macular edema?] / L'autofluorescence du fond d'œil. A-t-elle une place dans la prise en charge de l'œdème maculaire diabétique ?

PURPOSE: Analyze the characteristics of fundus autofluorescence of diabetic macular edema and study the association between these characteristics and visual function. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our study included 18 patients (28 eyes) with clinically significant diabetic macular edema. All patients had a complete eye examination with a fundus autofluorescence imaging and optical coherence tomography. The central macular thickness and central macular volume were measured. The integrity of the inner segment-outer segment junction and the integrity of the external limiting membrane were also evaluated in the same area. RESULTS: Among the 28 eyes studied, 8 had normal autofluorescence. The remaining 20 eyes had abnormal autofluorescence: a hyper-cystoid autofluorescence in 5 eyes (25%), hyper-spot autofluorescence in 8 eyes (40%), and hypo-irregular autofluorescence in 5 eyes (25%). Best corrected visual acuity was significantly better in patients with normal autofluorescence and those with hyper-cystoid autofluorescence. There was no significant difference in central macular thickness (P=0.186) and central macular volume (P=0.191) between the four groups. CONCLUSION: The autofluorescence is a simple, fast, and non-invasive technique for the study of diabetic macular edema with good correlation to the visual function as well as to the extent of damage to the retina. It is, therefore, a possible alternative to other invasive imaging techniques in particular in the long term monitoring of diabetic macular edema.

A 5-year retrospective review of fungal keratitis in the region of Cap Bon.

INTRODUCTION: Microbial keratitis is a serious ocular infection and a leading cause of morbidity and blindness worldwide. METHODS: A retrospective review of the charts of 30 patients (30 eyes) diagnosed with presumed or culture-proven fungal keratitis among 100 patients with infectious keratitis. All patients initially received hourly 0.5% Amphotericin B eye drops. Systemic antifungal agents consisted mainly of oral Fluconazole. After treatment, a healing time of less than 3 weeks from presentation was considered a good result. Mean follow up was 10.4 months. RESULTS: Risk factors for fungal keratitis included ocular trauma in 13 patients (43.3%). Stromal infiltration was seen in 100% of patients. Satellite lesions were noted in 6 eyes (20%) and an immune ring was noted in 3 cases (10%). The most commonly isolated agent was Fusarium in 9 eyes (50%), followed by Aspergillus in 6 eyes (33.3%), and Candida in 2 eyes (11.1%). At the end of follow up, final visual acuity varied from no light perception to 20/20. The significant predictors were initial visual acuity, size of infiltrate at presentation, male gender and advanced age. CONCLUSION: The key element in the diagnosis of mycotic keratitis is clinical suspicion on the part of the ophthalmologist. However, because of the potential serious complications, it is essential to identify the exact pathogen so as to initiate appropriate treatment in time and to thus improve the prognosis of this condition.