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Biomedical subjects

C A Servodidio

Publications and source records attributed to C A Servodidio.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Choroidal melanoma responses after brachytherapy treatment.

Serial ultrasonic measurements performed on 85 melanoma patients who were treated with radioactive plaques and followed for up to 141 months revealed that no 2 patients had identical patterns of change. Eighty-two of the patients were categorized into one of four patterns after treatment: Type D (decrease in height, 57 patients), Type S (same height, 12 patients), Type I (increase in height, 9 patients), and Type RG (tumour regrowth, 4 patients). The calculated mean total change in tumor height for Type D was 1.92 mm at 6 months, 2.58 mm at 12 months, 2.97 mm at 24 months and 3.61 mm at 48 months. For Type I, the mean total change in tumor height was 0.80 mm at 6 months, 0.95 mm at 12 months, 2.28 mm at 24 months, and 3.0 mm at 48 months.

Brachytherapy↗

Retinoblastoma in the first year of life.

Children diagnosed with retinoblastoma in the first year of life present with differences in laterality, stage, signs, symptoms, and respond differently to treatments when compared to older children. Of those children diagnosed in the first year of life (between 1958 and 1983 inclusive), 280 were bilateral and 121 were unilateral, the most common stage of diagnosis (for unilateral and bilateral) was Group V, and children were affected equally by sex. Children examined in the first three months of life were more often seen because of a positive family history of retinoblastoma, rather than leukocoria. Children who were treated in the first year of life frequently develop second nonocular tumors because they harbor the germinal mutation and receive radiation.

Diagnosis, Differential↗

Nurses: advocates for nursing.

Based on the nursing literature and my own ophthalmic nursing experience, there appears to be some confusion about how the general public, our colleagues, and physicians view the duties and responsibilities of the profession of nursing. We, as nurses, can serve as advocates for our own profession and educate the public about who we are, how we have achieved our current status and goals, and where we expect to be in the future.

Humans↗

Carotid fistula.

Frequently it is the ophthalmic nurse who obtains the patient's pertinent health history and background information. This case study of a patient diagnosed with an orbital carotid fistula shows how the nursing history helped to solve the patient's diagnosis.

Aged↗

Choroidal melanoma.

Choroidal melanoma is a rare and deadly cancer. Nursing care for these patients involves ophthalmic clinical expertise as well as psychosocial and emotional support. Although past research has been helpful in determining the prognosis of these patients, it is impossible to predict with certainty which patients have tumors or nevi that will grow, will compromise their vision, or will kill them. Providing emotional support, establishing a good rapport with the patients and their support persons, and encouraging patients to schedule and adhere to their mutually agreed on follow-up appointments are nursing interventions that may save or prolong a patient's life.

Adult↗

Presenting signs and symptoms of choroidal melanoma: what do they mean?

Presenting signs and symptoms of 193 patients with choroidal melanomas (followed for up to 152 months) were recorded using retrospective chart review. Eighty patients (41%) had no symptoms (the melanoma was found during routine ophthalmologic examination in 65 patients and during treatment for other eye problem in 15 patients). We found 113 patients (59%) had symptoms (visual acuity or visual field defects, 77 patients; flashes or floaters, 30 patients; pain, 5 patients, and metastatic disease, 1 patient). The tumor size was related to the presence or absence of symptoms (chi-square, 10.6; P = .005). More tumors that presented with symptoms were medium sized (64%) than large (27%). Men had significantly more symptoms (chi-square, 4.1; P = .04). The right eye was more likely to be involved in patients with symptoms (chi-square, 7.3; P = .007). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis for age, sex, presence of tumor or retinal detachment in the macula, tumor location, presence of symptoms, laterality, and tumor size showed that only tumor size was related to a difference in incidence of metastasis (log-rank chi-square, 12.9; P = .002). With increased tumor height, the probability of developing metastasis was greater.

Adolescent↗

Retinoblastoma. The long-term appearance of radiated intraocular tumors.

A retrospective analysis of 50 patients with retinoblastoma was undertaken to determine the appearance of intraocular retinoblastoma that had received external beam radiation a minimum of 10 years previously. Of the 91 tumors found in 59 eyes, 76 (84%) continued to be ophthalmoscopically visible after 10 years. The most common ophthalmoscopic appearance was a Type III regression pattern. The type of radiation regression pattern correlated with the pretreatment volume of the tumor. The largest tumors (mean, 10.0 disc diameter [dd]) became Type I regression patterns, whereas the smallest tumors (mean, 1.0 dd) completely disappeared. This represents the first long-term follow-up of the intraocular status of radiated retinoblastoma.

Child↗

Teaching aids for patients diagnosed with choroidal melanoma.

Patients who are diagnosed with choroidal melanoma are frequently devastated and overwhelmed. Simple and creative teaching aids including photographs, visual fields, eye models with clay tumors, actual prostheses, business cards, post-operative teaching sheets, and an example of a support book are discussed as methods to assist in patient teaching.

Choroid Neoplasms↗

Retinoblastoma.

Retinoblastoma, although a rare childhood cancer, is the most common primary malignant intraocular tumor of infancy and early childhood. In 75% of the cases, retinoblastoma is unilateral, and in 25% of the cases, retinoblastoma is bilateral. Presenting signs and symptoms of retinoblastoma, genetics, diagnostic tests, and their implications are reviewed in this paper. Treatment options for retinoblastoma (enucleation, external beam radiation, radioactive plaque, cryotherapy, photocoagulation, and chemotherapy) and their nursing care are discussed. Finally, second tumors such as osteosarcomas are discussed.

Cryosurgery↗

Changes in height of choroidal melanomas after plaque therapy.

Serial ultrasonic measurements of 82 uveal melanomas treated with brachytherapy plaques (cobalt-60 and iodine-125) and followed up for up to 141 months revealed that no two patients had identical patterns of change. The mean absolute change in tumour height after treatment was 1.8 mm at six months, 5.6 mm at 48 months for large tumours, and 0.9 and 1.9 mm for medium sized tumours. Eighty of the 82 patients fell into one of three patterns of response: 57 patients had a decrease in height after treatment (type D), 13 patients had the same height after treatment (type S), and 10 patients had a progressive increase in height (type I). Life table comparison showed no correlation between survival and location of tumour, sex of patient, size of tumour when treated, or laterality. There was a slight correlation between age and survival. Patients older than 60 died more frequently from metastatic melanoma than those under 60 (p = 0.06). Life table analysis showed a significant correlation between tumour regression type and survival. At 48 months the best cumulative probability of survival was in patients with type D (88% alive) compared with those of type I (34% alive, p = 0.0004).

Adult↗

Retinoblastoma after 15 years.

Retinoblastoma, a cancer of early childhood, occurs once in 18,000 to 30,000 live births worldwide. Not only are bilateral cases diagnosed at an earlier age than unilateral cases, but bilateral cases are also associated with multifocal tumors. A ten-month-old girl was treated for bilateral retinoblastoma (the right eye was Group Ia; the left eye was Group IIIb) with 3500 rads of external beam radiation. The metastatic workup was negative. Because new tumors developed OS, a combination of photocoagulation and cryotherapy treatments were necessary. Fifteen years after treatment, the right eye had Type II regression and the left eye, Type III.

Adolescent↗

Adopt A School.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Career Choice↗

Recurrence of unilateral retinoblastoma following radiation therapy.

A retrospective analysis of 65 unilateral retinoblastoma patients treated initially with external beam radiation, revealed that 25 eyes (38.5%) developed local recurrence of retinoblastoma. The mean age at diagnosis was 1.8 years for patients who developed recurrences vs. 0.9 years for those who did not. Ninety-six percent of the recurrences occurred less than two years from the age at diagnosis; the amount of time from the end of external beam radiation treatment until a tumor recurred was independent of the age at diagnosis. The initial largest basal diameter was 10.7 DD for tumors which later recurred and 5.9 DD for tumors that were cured. Sixty-nine percent of eyes in groups III-V had tumor recurrence, and 10% of eyes in groups I-II had recurrence. All but one eye (24 eyes) that developed recurrence were enucleated. Family history of retinoblastoma, location of the tumor, gender, and laterality did not significantly correlate with the mean age of initial diagnosis for tumors that recurred or the mean time of onset for recurrence.

Child↗

Changing trends in the management of retinoblastoma: 1951-1965 vs 1966-1980.

A retrospective analysis of the records of 1253 retinoblastoma patients (567 females, 665 males, and sex of one unknown) seen in the years 1951-1965 (575 patients, Interval I) and 1966-1980 (678 patients, Interval II) was conducted to determine changes in the manner of presentation of the disease, the treatment modalities employed, and their subsequent outcomes following treatment. There was no significant difference between the two 15-year time intervals in the age at presentation (mean, range), laterality, gender, family history, laterality vs gender distribution, family history vs laterality, employment of chemotherapy in unilateral cases or the use of external beam radiation (EBR) in bilateral cases. Changing trends in the management of retinoblastoma were observed as a result of the introduction of new treatment modalities, such as cryotherapy, light coagulation, and radioactive plaque therapy. Bilateral patients have received chemotherapy less frequently in interval II. The use of photocoagulation, cryotherapy, and brachytherapy for bilaterals, and cryotherapy for unilaterals increased significantly during Interval II. During both time intervals, a significantly higher percentage of unilaterally affected eyes were enucleated compared with bilaterally affected eyes; in addition, there was a decrease in the percentage of enucleations performed on both unilaterally and bilaterally affected eyes. In Interval II, 87% of unilateral patients and 91% of the bilateral patients had an enucleation performed.

Adolescent↗

Human responses to the diagnosis of choroidal melanoma.

Patient responses to the diagnosis of choroidal melanoma are individual and sometimes unexpected. Nurses are in a perfect position to ascertain a cancer patient's feelings, to listen, and to provide emotional support. Patient reactions to the diagnosis of choroidal melanoma can range from fear of blindness to concern for their children.

Adaptation, Psychological↗