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Biomedical subjects

Andrew G Lee

Publications and source records attributed to Andrew G Lee.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Presumed "sulfa allergy" in patients with intracranial hypertension treated with acetazolamide or furosemide: cross-reactivity, myth or reality?

PURPOSE: To determine whether acetazolamide or furosemide produce allergic cross-reactions in patients with self-reported "sulfa allergy." DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: A retrospective review included patients with intracranial hypertension and a self-reported sulfa allergy treated with either acetazolamide or furosemide seen at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics from 1972 to 2003. All presumed medication-related side effects were collected, including both predictable adverse effects (for example, paresthesias, fatigue) and unpredictable adverse reactions (for example, cutaneous fixed eruptions, urticaria, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, angioedema, anaphylaxis). RESULTS: We reviewed 363 charts. Of these, 329 patients (91%) were excluded. Of the remaining 34 cases that did report a so-called sulfa allergy, 13 (38%) received acetazolamide alone, 7 (21%) received furosemide alone, and 14 (41%) received both acetazolamide and furosemide. Of the 27 patients who received acetazolamide, 10 (37%) had no documented allergic cross-reaction to sulfa, and 2 (7%) cases had urticaria. The remaining 15 (56%) of acetazolamide-treated patients experienced predictable adverse reactions for this drug (for example, paresthesias). No patient experienced a severe allergic cross-reaction to sulfa. Of 21 patients who received furosemide, no unpredictable adverse reactions or allergic cross-reactions to sulfa were noted. CONCLUSIONS: We find little clinical or pharmacological evidence to suggest that a self-reported sulfa allergy is likely to produce a life-threatening cross-reaction with acetazolamide or furosemide. These medications should be considered for intracranial hypertension if the risk-to-benefit ratio warrants their use.

Acetazolamide↗
PubMed2004

Group B streptococcus endogenous endophthalmitis presenting as septic arthritis and a homonymous hemianopsia due to embolic stroke.

PURPOSE: To report a case of group B streptococcus (GBS) endogenous endophthalmitis in a patient presenting with septic arthritis and a homonymous hemianopsia due to embolic stroke. DESIGN: Observational case report. METHODS: A 75-year-old woman with septic arthritis and a homonymous hemianopsia due to embolic stroke was examined and found to have endogenous GBS endophthalmitis due to bacterial endocarditis. RESULTS: Magnetic resonance imaging showed many septic emboli to the brain, including the left occipital lobe. Fundus examination showed evidence for endogenous endophthalmitis. Blood and urine cultures were positive for GBS. A mitral valve vegetation was presumed to be the cause of the intracranial septic emboli and was demonstrated on transesophageal echocardiography. CONCLUSIONS: Septic arthritis and embolic stroke are suggestive of endocarditis and sepsis. Endogenous endophthalmitis in this case led to transesophageal echocardiography, which was diagnostic for endocarditis.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Subperiosteal hematoma of the orbit following an aneurysm coiling procedure.

PURPOSE: To report a case of subperiosteal hematoma formation following endovascular stenting and coiling of an arterial aneurysm. DESIGN: Observational case report. METHODS: A 51-year-old woman presented with complaints of sudden proptosis, ptosis, and severe orbital pain following endovascular stent placement and coiling procedure of an internal carotid artery aneurysm. The patient did not have a history of recent head trauma. RESULTS: Magnetic resonance imaging showed a superior subperiosteal hematoma of the left orbit with downward displacement of the left superior rectus muscle. No intervention was taken, and the patient was closely monitored. Her symptoms resolved after 4 weeks. Spontaneous subperiosteal hematoma in the absence of trauma is rare. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first reported case of subperiosteal hematoma formation following endovascular stenting and coiling of an arterial aneurysm, which may have been the manifestation of anticoagulation and changes in orbital hemodynamics during and after the procedure.

Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation↗
PubMed2004

Systemic infections of neuro-ophthalmic significance.

Systemic infectious disease may present with or include neuro-ophthalmic findings. Many of these signs and symptoms are related to topographical location of the infectious process,but some entities have distinctive and characteristic features that allow specific diagnosis. This article updates and reviews the neuro-ophthalmic features of infectious disease.

Eye Diseases↗
PubMed2004

Managing the new mandate in resident education: a blueprint for translating a national mandate into local compliance.

OBJECTIVE: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has mandated that all residency programs implement an assessment process of 6 core competencies. Assessment of surgical competence is also included in the mandate. We describe our local efforts to meet this new mandate. DESIGN: Systematic literature review. METHODS: A systematic MEDLINE search (1996-2003) of the literature on residency assessment tools was performed. All relevant titles were reviewed by a content expert, abstracts were selected, and all appropriate full articles were reviewed. The Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa formalized the competency review process by forming an ad hoc departmental task force for "Meeting the Competencies" composed of clinicians, technical staff, education specialists, the program director, the director of residency curriculum, the medical student director, and residents. RESULTS: The task force reviewed the available literature, reviewed potential best practices, and reached consensus on an implementation plan. The following specific criteria for the assessment process were proposed: (1) there should be multiple assessments by multiple observers using multiple tools at multiple time points, (2) the tools should be reliable, reproducible, and valid; (3) the tools must be practical (i.e., feasible, convenient, low time commitment, easy to use, and inexpensive to implement and maintain); (4) the tools must produce qualitative and quantitative data, with direct linkage to improvement in educational outcomes in the future; (5) the assessment process must be linked to explicit and public learning objectives; and (6) the grading scale should be open and clearly defined, and the process should be judged as fair and accurate by both faculty and residents. The Meeting the Competencies task force reviewed all of the available tools from the literature and recommended a pilot implementation matrix matching specific tools to individual competencies. The 6 pilot tools include (1) written and oral examinations, (2) a 360 degrees global evaluation form (using multiple observers from different perspectives, including nurses, technicians, fellow residents, and patients, to provide a wider assessment), (3) a resident portfolio, (4) direct observation of operative performance and clinical examination, (5) a phone encounter tool, and (6) a journal club tool. CONCLUSION: We propose a potential blueprint for meeting the challenge of assessing the new ACGME competencies in ophthalmology and translating the national mandate into local compliance.

Accreditation↗
PubMed2004

Adult-onset acquired oculomotor nerve paresis with cyclic spasms: relationship to ocular neuromyotonia.

PURPOSE: To describe the characteristics and significance of acquired oculomotor nerve paresis with cyclic spasm. METHOD: Retrospective case series of two patients with a history of previous skull base irradiation for intracranial tumor who developed double vision and were found to have oculomotor nerve paresis with cyclic spasm. Both patients underwent a complete neuroophthalmologic assessment, including testing of eyelid position, pupillary size and reactivity, and ocular motility and alignment during both the paretic and spastic phases of the condition. RESULTS: Both patients developed unilateral lid retraction and ipsilateral esotropia with limitation of abduction during the spastic phase of the cycle, with ipsilateral ptosis, exotropia, and variable limitation of adduction during the paretic phase. The cycles were continuous and were not induced or altered by eccentric gaze. CONCLUSIONS: Cyclic oculomotor nerve paresis with spasms may occur years after irradiation of the skull base. This condition is different from the more common ocular motor disturbance that occurs in this setting-ocular neuromyotonia. However, in view of the similarity between these two disorders, it seems likely that they are caused by a similar peripheral mechanism.

Adenoma↗
PubMed2004

The monocular vertical prism dissociation test.

PURPOSE: To determine if the monocular vertical prism dissociation test can differentiate between organic and nonorganic visual loss. DESIGN: A prospective, single-masked observational study. METHODS: Three institutional neuro-ophthalmology practices. Group 1 consisted of 30 normal controls. Group 2 included 30 patients with known organic visual loss. Group 3 contained 35 patients with suspected nonorganic monocular visual loss. Participants were asked to describe what they saw while viewing a single Snellen letter when a 4-prism diopter base-down prism was placed in front of their better eye. Outcome was measured by whether the participant sees one or two letters with the prism in place. RESULTS: Vision-appropriate results were given by all members of Group 1 (two images) and by all members of Group 2 (one image). Two images were seen by 31 of 35 members of Group 3, indicating nonorganic visual loss. The other 4 subjects in Group 3 saw one image; each was subsequently found to have occult pathology. CONCLUSION: The vertical prism test quickly differentiates organic from nonorganic monocular visual acuity loss.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Neuro-ophthalmic findings in the visual variant of Alzheimer's disease.

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical features of a visual variant Alzheimer's disease, a disorder that might be seen by the ophthalmologist with visual symptoms and signs. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. PARTICIPANTS: Eight patients with Alzheimer's disease presenting with predominantly visual complaints. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients at a tertiary care academic center seen by the authors from 1999 to 2001 with Alzheimer's disease and predominantly visual complaints. RESULTS: Eight patients with the visual variant of Alzheimer's disease were reviewed. All had seen eye care providers before referral to the neuro-ophthalmology clinic for visual complaints but without a diagnosis. Four patients had homonymous visual field loss, and two had presumed cortical visual impairment. Neuroimaging showed either normal brain (1 patient) or atrophy of the parietal or occipital areas but no structural lesions (7 patients). Fluoro-18-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography scans were performed in five of the cases, and all showed hypoperfusion in the parietooccipital areas. Neuropsychologic testing revealed visuospatial deficits in all 5 patients tested. CONCLUSIONS: Visual symptoms might be the presenting (or rarely only) manifestation of Alzheimer's disease. Clinicians should be aware of the visual variant of Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychological testing and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide supporting evidence for the diagnosis. Positron emission tomography scans might be helpful in selected cases, especially those with a normal MRI.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Painful ophthalmologic disorders and eye pain for the neurologist.

Neurologists should be aware of the following causes of eye pain: (1)ocular and orbital disorders with or without visible pathology of the eye (eg,redness, corneal opacity, or proptosis); (2) ophthalmologic syndromes associated with headache; and (3) headache syndromes associated with ophthalmologic findings.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed2004

The uveo-meningeal syndromes.

BACKGROUND: The uveo-meningeal syndromes are a group of disorders that share involvement of the uvea, retina, and meninges. REVIEW SUMMARY: We review the clinical manifestations of uveitis and describe the infectious, inflammatory, and neoplastic conditions associated with the uveo-meningeal syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Inflammatory or autoimmune diseases are probably the most common clinically recognized causes of true uveo-meningeal syndromes. These entities often cause inflammation of various tissues in the body, including ocular structures and the meninges (eg, Wegener granulomatosis, sarcoidosis, Behcet disease, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome, and acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy). The association of an infectious uveitis with an acute or chronic meningoencephalitis is unusual but occasionally the eye examination may suggest an infectious etiology or even a specific organism responsible for a meningeal syndrome. One should consider the diagnosis of primary ocular-CNS lymphoma in patients 40 years of age or older with bilateral uveitis, especially with prominent vitritis, that fails to respond to treatment or who has associated neurologic findings. A paraneoplastic disorder has been described in patients who have combined optic neuritis and retinitis defined serologically by the presence of a paraneoplastic IgG autoantibody CRMP-5-IgG. These patients may have an inflammatory vitritis and may have signs of cerebrospinal fluid inflammation.

Humans↗
PubMed2004

Research agenda-setting program for geriatric ophthalmology.

The healthcare needs of an aging population of "baby boomers" (persons born between 1946 and 1964) will disproportionately affect ophthalmology. To meet this emerging need, the American Geriatrics Society and the John A. Hartford Foundation developed a research agenda-setting process for geriatric ophthalmology. A systematic literature search was performed using Medline from the years 1990 to 2000. The literature review (168 papers) was performed to determine the current state of information regarding selected issues in geriatric ophthalmology. A needs assessment for each of the identified topics was performed, gaps in the existing knowledge base were identified, and key questions for future research were proposed. A research agenda-setting process for geriatric ophthalmology might provide a structural framework for future research efforts in the field.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed2003

Distinguishing ischemic stroke from the stroke-like lesions of MELAS using apparent diffusion coefficient mapping.

We report two patients with migraine, acute visual field defects and other neurological symptoms who were found to have high T(2) signal and FLAIR abnormalities on brain MRI in temporal and parieto-occipital regions. In these patients, the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of their lesions was increased, distinguishing these lesions from those of ischemic stroke. Both were ultimately diagnosed with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS). We conclude that conventional MRI when used with diffusion-weighted MR imaging may be invaluable in detecting mitochondrial-related CNS dysfunction.

Adult↗