Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L B Nelson.
Thirty patients with moderate angle exotropia of 15 to 20PD were treated with a unilateral lateral rectus recession of 7.0 or 7.5mm. All 30 patients improved postoperatively to orthophoria, small angle exophoria, or small angle tropia of 10PD or less. Alignment was stable during an average follow-up of 21 months.
We used a blunt irrigating cannula to infuse tetracaine 0.5% solution into the posterior sub-Tenon's space in 26 consecutive patients undergoing strabismus surgery under local anesthesia. All patients were sedated with combinations of fentanyl citrate and either propofol or midazolam. The results suggest that this technique is a safe and effective method of performing strabismus surgery under local anesthesia.
We describe four cases of ocular trauma incurred while playing women's lacrosse without eye protection. Women's lacrosse is potentially hazardous because, unlike men's lacrosse, helmets and face masks are not required. These ocular injuries could have been prevented with the use of protective eyewear.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
A ten-year-old boy with a four-year history of symptomatic human immunodeficiency virus infection had granulomatous iridocyclitis that subsequently resolved with topical corticosteroid and cycloplegic therapy. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of isolated anterior uveitis in a child with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
We prospectively studied 76 patients to analyze the effectiveness of peribulbar anesthesia during strabismus surgery. The patients, ranging in age from 14 to 77 years, were given anesthesia with standard preoperative medication and a peribulbar injection of a mixture of 2% mepivacaine hydrochloride and hyaluronidase. Only one of the 76 patients required an additional injection of anesthetic to achieve adequate anesthesia. No morbidity was associated with the peribulbar anesthesia. Local anesthesia, particularly retrobulbar anesthesia, has been used as an alternative technique in an attempt to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with general anesthesia in ocular surgery, particularly in those patients with high-risk characteristics. Even with retrobulbar anesthesia, however, there is a risk of morbidity and, in rare cases, mortality. Our results suggest that the use of peribulbar anesthesia is a safe and effective means of anesthesia in strabismus surgery because of minimal associated morbidity.
Experience with removal of radiation-induced cataract in patients treated for retinoblastoma is limited. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 38 patients with retinoblastoma (42 eyes) who underwent removal of radiation-induced cataract from 1973 to 1989. Nineteen eyes (45%) without macular tumors or severe radiation complications had final visual acuities in the range of 20/20 to 20/50. One eye (2.4%) developed a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and four eyes (9.5%) were noted to have amblyopia after cataract removal. Three eyes (7%) developed retinoblastoma recurrence, one with extension of retinoblastoma into the subconjunctival space through the previous sclerotomy. Exenteration was performed and the patient was alive after 8 years. Cataract removal can be visually beneficial in selected patients with radiation-induced cataracts.
Binocularity was assessed in children who developed large, constant esotropia following bilateral lateral rectus recessions for intermittent exotropia. Nine such patients were identified who warranted medical rectus recession. Seven were finally aligned within 6 prism dioptres after secondary surgery. Stereopsis measured 50 seconds or better in six of these patients and 200 seconds of arc in the seventh. Two patients had residual deviations: one child with 30 prism dioptres of residual esotropia had 400 arc seconds and the remaining patient, with 12 prism dioptres of exotropia and marked anisometropia, did not show stereopsis. Children with constant acquired esotropia for as long as two years may still have normal stereopsis after surgical alignment. The risk of losing binocularity because of a large overcorrection following exotropia surgery may be smaller than previously assumed.
Strabismus is one of the most common ocular disorders encountered in children. The misalignment may be manifest in any field of gaze, may be constant or intermittent, and may occur at near or distant fixation or both. Early detection of strabismus is essential for restoration of proper alignment of the visual axes and the establishment of binocular vision. The proper assessment and management of a child with strabismus requires knowledge of the various clinical types, methods of detection and principles of treatment.
Traumatic microhyphema is an entity encountered in emergency rooms and general ophthalmology practices. The management of traumatic microhyphema has not been well defined in the literature. We discuss the effectiveness of our treatment regimen and the incidence of rebleed in patients with microhyphema.
We describe a modification of the hang-back and loop techniques that we call the hemihang-back recession, in which the muscle is reattached to the sclera posterior to the original insertion with a single, absorbable suture. We recommend it for difficult strabismus cases, specifically when recessions of 7 mm or more are required.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Oral aminocaproic acid has been shown to be effective in clot stabilization and in the reduction of secondary bleeding rates in cases of traumatic hyphema. In a retrospective study of 105 patients treated during a 1-year period, we found the incidence of rebleeding in patients with traumatic hyphema who received aminocaproic acid prophylaxis was 2%; the incidence in those who did not was 25%.
Acute acquired comitant esotropia has been used to describe a dramatic onset of a relatively large angle of esotropia with diplopia and minimal refractive error. We describe six children aged 5 to 11 years who developed an acute non-accommodative esotropia with diplopia. Neurological examination, including CT scan, in each of these children gave negative results. We suggest that this is an unusual presentation of esotropia of undetermined aetiology. The diagnosis, clinical characteristics, and management are discussed.
We describe how use of the Gass hook allows safer placement of the lateral rectus stay suture for inferior rectus recession through an inferotemporal cul-de-sac incision.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
At the Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Wills Eye Hospital, 17 children, 18 months to 10 years of age, were seen with a chief complaint of intermittent excessive blinking. Eight (47%) of the patients had been referred for ophthalmologic examination by their pediatrician for evaluation of this symptom. All were in excellent health with no associated symptoms or signs of systemic or ocular disease. None of the children were taking topical ocular or systemic medications. The parents of seven (41%) of these children were able to identify a temporally related stressful event that coincided with the onset of blinking. Durations of the symptom prior to examination ranged from 1 week to 4 months. Spontaneous resolution occurred from one day to 5 months after the first ophthalmologic examination. Recurrence occurred in only one child, but resolution was still completed within 5 months. Excessive eye blinking unassociated with other systemic or ocular findings appears to be a medically benign, self-limited functional disorder.
A 1-year survey was conducted of all children with eye injuries seen in the Wills Eye Hospital emergency room to determine demographic, etiologic, and prophylactic factors. There were 810 children with ocular trauma. Childhood ocular injuries are frequent, often resulting in serious visual impairment. Many of these injuries are preventable.