Atypical presentation of a case of solitary fibrous tumor of the orbit.

PURPOSE: To describe a rare case of solitary fibrous tumor of the orbit in a child, clinically misdiagnosed as arterious hemangioma. METHODS: A nine-year-old child presented a hard-elastic palpable mass located in the right inferotemporal orbit. Computed tomography, orbital pulsed-wave Doppler and internal carotid artery angiography consented diagnosis of high-vascularization mass probably related to arterious hemangioma with feeder vessel arising from a branch of ophthalmic artery. The orbital mass was surgically removed. RESULTS: The histological examination showed mesenchimal tumor, CD34 positive, related to solitary fibrous tumor of the orbit. CONCLUSIONS: Solitary fibrous tumor of the orbit should be considered in the differential diagnosis of arterious hemangioma.

Improved sensory status and quality-of-life measures in adult patients after strabismus surgery.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the change in sensory status and quality-of-life measures in adults with long-standing childhood-onset constant strabismus. METHODS: Consecutive patients with childhood-onset, long-term constant strabismus were enrolled. Sensory status was examined with Bagolini striated glasses test and Worth 4-dot test. Stereopsis was tested with the Lang and TNO stereopsis tests. Quality of life was studied with 2 different questionnaires (Short Form Health Survey [SF-36] and the Amblyopia and Strabismus Questionnaire [A&SQ]), which patients completed before and 3 months after strabismus surgery. RESULTS: A total of 20 patients (age range, 18-63 years) were included, 10 of whom were esotropic and 10 of whom were exotropic. Of these, 13 obtained a satisfactory postoperative alignment and demonstrated an increase of sensory status with Bagolini striated glasses. Six patients who demonstrated suppression preoperatively achieved fusion and stereopsis postoperatively. The mean score in all domains of the A&SQ improved significantly, particularly with regard to social contact and cosmesis (P = 0.00067), distance estimation (P = 0.000312), and visual disorientation (P = 0.004777). Similarly, the mean score in 7 of 8 areas in the SF-36 improved significantly, particularly with regard to physical function (P = 0.000564), general health (P = 0.002296), vitality (P = 0.002891), social function (P = 0.004234), and mental health (P = 0.000334). The overall mean score of both questionnaires improved in all patients with a satisfactory postoperative alignment and increase of sensory status. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment of strabismus in adults with long-standing childhood-onset constant strabismus can result in patients feeling that their quality of life has improved and can restore binocular sensory function.

Prevalence of neurological involvement and malformative/systemic syndromes in A- and V-pattern strabismus.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prevalence of neurological involvement and malformative/systemic syndromes in A- and V-patterns with respect to other kinds of infantile concomitant strabismus. METHODS: A retrospective comparative study of 14,006 consecutive patients examined in the Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Unit at the Catholic University of Rome between January 2002 and February 2010 was carried out. A total of 2.72% (385) of patients presented with concomitant constant infantile strabismus associated with A- and V- patterns (study group; mean age 8 years; range: 8 months - 37 years; male 211, female 174). Another 377 consecutive patients affected by infantile concomitant strabismus without A- or V- patterns were used as controls (control group; mean age 9 years, range: 1-34 years; male 194, female 183). All patients underwent a complete ophthalmologic and orthoptic examination with ocular motility evaluation and prism cover test or the Hirschberg test in primary, up and down gaze positions, as well as cycloplegic retinoscopy. The angle of deviation was evaluated at near (33 cm) and distance fixation (6 m) with full correction of refraction. RESULTS: Neurological involvement and malformative/systemic syndromes were observed in 30.4% of the study group and in 19.8% of patients in the control group (P < 0.001). Patients with A-pattern showed a greater prevalence of neurological impairment, hydrocephalus and meningomyelocele, while those affected by V-pattern exhibited a greater prevalence of craniosynostosis and malformative syndromes. CONCLUSIONS: Neurological involvement and malformative/systemic syndromes seem to be more evident in patients presenting with A- and V-pattern strabismus.

Measurement of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, macular thickness, and foveal volume in amblyopic eyes using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.

Although the changes in the anatomy of the visual cortex and lateral geniculate nucleus as the result of amblyopia have been well documented, retinal involvement is still controversial. Time-domain optical coherence tomography with an axial resolution of 10 µm has been used to evaluate retinal and peripapillary tissues in amblyopic eyes with contradictory results. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography has a greater resolution (5-10 µm) and can determine retinal layers more precisely. Our purpose was assess by means of spectral domain optical coherence tomography whether the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, macular thickness, and foveal volume of the amblyopic and the fellow eyes differ in patients with unilateral amblyopia. Intereye differences in these parameters were found to be insignificant.

Effect of vertical transposition of the medial rectus muscle on primary position alignment in infantile esotropia with A- or V-pattern strabismus.

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of vertical displacement of muscle insertions on the surgical dose-response relationship in patients undergoing bilateral medial rectus recessions. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of patients undergoing bilateral medial rectus recessions for correction of congenital esotropia with or without vertical displacement for A or V patterns. Patients were clustered into A pattern, V pattern, and "simple" (no pattern) groups. Strabismus angle at distance and near before and after surgery was recorded. Surgical dose-response relationships (in prism diopters/mm) were determined at the 6-month follow-up visit and compared. RESULTS: A total of 55 patients (28 male and 27 female patients; mean age, 6.9 years; range, 2-17 years) were included. Of these, 28 had either A pattern (18) or V pattern (10), and 27 were in the simple group. Mean preoperative angle of deviation was 34Δ at distance and 40Δ at near. The surgical dose-response relationship was significantly greater (at both distance and near) in the A pattern group (2.43Δ/mm, distance [p=0.005]; 2.76Δ/mm, near [p=0.04]) than in the simple group (1.56Δ/mm, distance; 2.03Δ/mm, near). The surgical response in the V pattern group (1.96Δ/mm, distance [p=0.34]; 2.03Δ/mm, near [p=0.94]) was not significantly different from the simple group. CONCLUSIONS: Upward displacement of the medial rectus muscles increased the surgical dose/response relationship in patients with A-pattern esotropia. A similar effect was not observed with downward displacement in patients with V-pattern strabismus. Surgeons should be aware of this enhanced response when planning surgery for A-pattern esotropia.

A morpho-functional study of amblyopic eyes with the use of optical coherence tomography and microperimetry.

PURPOSE: To determine whether retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT), macular thickness, foveal volume, macular sensitivity, and fixation in patients with amblyopia differ between the amblyopic eye and the fellow eye. METHODS: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and microperimetry (MP-1) were used to evaluate patients with unilateral amblyopia. Patients were divided into 2 groups, those with strabismic amblyopia and those with refractive amblyopia. OCT maps were used to calculate foveal volume, macular thickness, and RNFLT; MP-1 was used to determine macular sensitivity and fixation. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients were included (13 males; mean age 19.7 years [range, 10-38 years]), 15 in each group. Mean best-corrected visual acuity was 20/35 (range, 20/50 to 20/32) in the amblyopic eye and 20/21 (range, 20/20 to 20/25) in the fellow eye. In both groups, mean foveal volume and RNFLT did not differ significantly between eyes. Only macular thickness in the strabismic group differed significantly between the amblyopic and fellow eyes (P = 0.03). Macular sensitivity was significantly greater in the fellow eye in both groups (strabismic group, P = 0.002; refractive group, P = 0.013), whereas fixation did not change significantly between the amblyopic and fellow eye. RNFLT and macular sensitivity was found to be significantly correlated (strabismic group, r = 0.84, P = 0.002; refractive group, r = 0.66, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that although RNFLT does not vary between eyes, macular sensitivity is reduced in patients with amblyopia.

Mydriasis induced by sub-Tenon's ropivacaine injection in patients undergoing strabismus surgery.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of sub-Tenon's capsule ropivacaine injection on pupillary diameter in strabismus surgery. METHODS: A total of 16 patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups. The ropivacaine group (R) received sub-Tenon's ropivacaine 1% (2.5-3 mL) injections. In the control group (C), general anesthesia was induced and a saline solution (2.5-3 mL) was injected in the sub-Tenon's capsule. Pupillary diameter was measured at baseline and 2 and 5 minutes from the injections. The effects of the injections were expressed as a ratio of final (5 minutes) versus basal diameter. RESULTS: A significant mydriasis occurred in the ropivacaine group when compared with the control group (Group R vs Group C ratio = 2.32, p < 0.0001) or with unoperated fellow eye (R vs unoperated eye ratio = 2.29, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Ropivacaine in the sub-Tenon's capsule induces a mydriasis probably related to a pharmacological ciliary ganglion block.