Alterations of lacrimal sac vasculature in lacrimal disorders: Chromo endoscopic assessment with changes in effective spectral response

PURPOSE

To study the structural and dynamic alterations in the lacrimal sac vasculature of patients with congenital, primary, and secondary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstructions (CNLDO, PANDO, SANDO) and patients with acute dacryocystitis (AD) and failed dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR).

METHODS

A prospective study was performed on 65 consecutive lacrimal sacs following their complete exposure during endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy. High magnification chromo endoscopy and changes in effective spectral response was achieved using the Storz professional image enhancement system (SPIES®). Structural characteristics studied include vascular arrangement, superficial and deep vessels, vessel calibers on cut section, abnormal branching, localized and generalized dilatations and pathologies like varices. Flow characteristics in different caliber vessels and their alterations were assessed in Spectra A mode of SPIES®.

RESULTS

Distinct vascular alterations were noted in several lacrimal disorders. Vascular dilatations differed between the fundus and the body segments of the lacrimal sac, except in cases of traumatic SANDO and prior failed DCRs. 23% (7/30) of PANDO sacs showed peri sac varices and severe tortuosity. The flow in the dilated vessels was either very slow or showed intermittent backflow. Moderate dilatation of peri sac venous plexus with distinct surface linear vessels was noted in CNLDO. The cut surface of the sac wall and luminal surface differentially demonstrated several vascular patterns like speckled, scattered, branched loops, and skip areas in various diseased states.

CONCLUSION

The present study found distinct alterations of lacrimal sac vasculature in several lacrimal drainage disorders and provides impetus to the vascular theory for pathogenesis of PANDO.

Utilization of opportunistic cervical cancer screening in Nigeria

BACKGROUND

While various interventions have been conducted to decrease cervical cancer's burden in Nigeria, no study has examined the trends in cervical cancer screening uptake over time. The present study sought to fill this gap in knowledge using data collected at Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) in Nigeria.

METHODS

Data collected continuously between 2006 and 2016 were analyzed to identify trends in screening uptake, changes in risk factors for cervical cancer, and to identify factors for women screened at Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) in Jos, Nigeria. Categorical analyses and logistic regression models were used to describe patient characteristics by year, and to identify factors associated with repeated screening uptake.

RESULTS

A total of 14,088 women who were screened between 2006 and 2016 were included in the database; 2,800 women had more than one screening visit. Overall, screening uptake differed significantly by year. On average women were first screened at age 38. About 2% of women screened were women living with HIV. Most women (86%) had normal pap smear at first screening, with the greatest decreased risk of abnormalities observed between 2011 and 2014. Odds of a follow-up screening after a normal result decreased significantly between 2008 and 2016 compared to women screened in 2006 and 2007. Finally, women living with HIV had increased odds of follow-up screening after having a normal pap smear.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings contribute to our understanding of the potential social and health system barriers to cervical cancer control in Nigeria. The findings may assist policy makers to design interventions to increase access and compliance to recommended screening schedules in this vulnerable population.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine HIV care and cervical cancer screening in North-Central Nigeria

INTRODUCTION

Cervical cancer is the fourth most diagnosed cancer among women globally, with much of the burden being carried by women in limited-resource settings often worsened by the high prevalence of HIV. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted organized screening efforts and HIV management regimens worldwide, and the impact of these disruptions have not been examined in these settings. The purpose of this paper is to describe whether uptake of cervical cancer screening and HIV management changed before, during, and since the COVID-19 pandemic in North-Central Nigeria.

METHODS

Longitudinal healthcare administration data for women who obtained care between January 2018 and December 2021 were abstracted from the AIDS Prevention Initiative Nigeria (APIN) clinic at Jos University Teaching Hospital. Patient demographics, pap smear outcomes, and HIV management indicators such as viral load and treatment regimen were abstracted and assessed using descriptive and regression analyses. All analyses were conducted comparing two years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the four quarters in 2020, and the year following COVID-19 restrictions.

RESULTS

We included 2304 women in the study, most of whom were between 44 and 47 years of age, were married, and had completed secondary education. About 85% of women were treated with first line highly active retroviral therapy (HAART). Additionally, 84% of women screened using pap smear had normal results. The average age of women who sought care at APIN was significantly lower in Quarter 3, 2020 (p = 0.015) compared to the other periods examined in this study. Conversely, the average viral load for women who sought care during that period was significantly higher in adjusted models (p < 0.0001). Finally, we determined that the average viral load at each clinic visit was significantly associated with the period in which women sought care.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, we found that COVID-19 pandemic mitigation efforts significantly influenced women's ability to obtain cervical cancer screening and routine HIV management at APIN clinic. This study buttresses the challenges in accessing routine and preventive care during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in low-resource settings. Further research is needed to determine how these disruptions to care may influence long-term health in this and similar at-risk populations.

[Rare cases of lacrimal stent dislocation]

Intubation of lacrimal passages is a relatively frequent procedure performed as either independent intervention, or as a part of a complex surgery. Although complications after intubation of lacrimal passages occur rarely, and their detailed description is easily found in literature, cases of stent dislocation often become difficult for the surgeon. The article presents two clinical cases belonging to the type of lacrimal stent dislocation not previously described in literature. In the first case, intrapalpebral arc of the stent was in the right position, while its nasal ends could not be found in the nasal cavity. Endoscopic stent reposition was performed using an endoscope with a 30-degree viewing angle. In the second case, intrapalpebral arc of the stent could not be determined, but its heel was removed from the lover nasal passage using an endoscope. This seems to have been preceded by intraluminal disruption of stent's integrity. The authors also analyze cases of lacrimal stent dislocation described in literature and reach a conclusion that endonasal endoscopy with the application of optics with different viewing angles is suitable for efficient visualization of a dislocated lacrimal stent and its reposition.

[Anatomy and physiology of the nasolacrimal ducts]

Ophthalmologists and interventional radiologists are not the only professionals for whom diseases of the efferent tear duct system occupy centre stage; this applies also to ENT specialists involving endonasal conservative or surgical treatment. On the basis of current knowledge and taking account of results yielded by own research in recent years and of clinical aspects, we here give an overview of basic knowledge on the anatomy and physiology of the nasolacrimal system. In doing so functional aspects regarding tear transport as well as embryological and pathophysiological issues are integrated.

Convection-enhanced intraparenchymal delivery (CEID) of cytosine arabinoside (AraC) for the treatment of HIV-related progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)

AIDS-related PML continues to be a relatively common and rapidly fatal infection in patients with AIDS, and no effective therapy has been established to alleviate the effects of this disease. Through the years, isolated reports and small case studies have shown somewhat encouraging results using cytosine arabinoside (AraC) in the treatment of PML. The optimism behind the use AraC for this disease began to fade with ACTG trial 243, which suggested that AraC had no benefit in patients with HIV-related PML. In this article, we provide evidence that suggests that the failure of AraC in the ACTG trial may have been due to insufficient delivery of the drug through traditional intravenous and intrathecal routes. Furthermore, we provide evidence that convection-enhanced intraparenchymal delivery of AraC may prove to be a safe and effective means of treating this infection, and we outline a clinical trial that we have recently undertaken to test this hypothesis.

Pulmonary valve injury: Swan-Ganz or surgery

Pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) is a commonly used monitor in cardiac surgery. Pulmonary valve injury from the balloon of the pulmonary artery catheter is exceedingly rare; its description by transesophageal echocardiography is nonexistent in the literature. A patient is reported who developed a flail anterior pulmonary leaflet several days after successful myectomy for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The temporal sequence of PAC use and four transesophageal echocardiography studies over 13 days, with the first three showing normal pulmonary valves, suggested pulmonary valve trauma, most likely from a Swan-Ganz catheter, as the etiology. Partial damage to the pulmonary valve from the original surgery may have predisposed the patient to further damage when the PAC was reintroduced in the intensive care unit.

ACC/AHA guidelines as predictors of postoperative cardiac outcomes

PURPOSE

Recently, the American College of Cardiology - American Heart Association (ACC-AHA) published guidelines and an associated algorithm for preoperative cardiovascular evaluation of patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Our purpose was to (i) test guideline's ability to predict adverse cardiac events within seven days after surgery, (ii) determine whether medical clinical predictors or surgical risks was a better predictor of cardiac events.

METHODS

Retrospective review of 119 cardiology and anesthesia consultations over 15 mo, ending March 31, 1998. Patients were classified into their respective medical clinical predictor and surgical risk groups, as outlined in ACC-AHA guidelines. Associations between the medical predictor and surgical risk scores and adverse cardiac outcomes were quantified via multiple logistic regression analysis. Two outcomes were employed. Outcome I, included: myocardial infarction/ischemia; angina; congestive heart failure, arrhythmia or death. Outcome 2 expanded the definition to include "cancellation of surgery due to cardiac risk" as a negative cardiac outcome.

RESULTS

Diabetes, Canadian Cardiovascular Class (CCS) III or IV angina, and MI within six months before surgery were strongly associated with the two cardiac outcomes. For outcome 1 and 2, medical predictors and surgical risks, considered simultaneously, performed with a sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 46-51%. When considered separately, major clinical medical predictors had a sensitivity of 87-89%, while surgical risks showed a specificity of 89% in predicting the two outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Medical predictors in ACC-AHA classification scheme were highly sensitive whereas surgical risks were more specific in predicting adverse post-operative cardiac events. Prospective study is needed to confirm these observations.

Epidural fentanyl-bupivacaine infusion for management of pain in the Guillain-Barré syndrome

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Epidural morphine with fentanyl has been used with some success to treat the pain associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome. This report describes a female with Guillain-Barré syndrome in which lower extremity and generalized positional pain failed to respond to conventional pain therapy. An epidural infusion of bupivacaine and fentanyl was used to treat her pain.

METHODS

A case report.

RESULTS

An epidural infusion of 15 mg/hour bupivacaine and 75 micrograms/hour fentanyl produced good pain relief (visual analog scale decreased from 9 to 2) and allowed increased mobility. Over 24 days of treatment, the infusion requirements gradually increased, suggestive of tachyphylaxis.

CONCLUSIONS

These patients sometimes fail to respond to conventional pain therapy and may require the expertise of an anesthesiologist to deliver epidural analgesics.

The prophylactic use of octreotide in a patient with ovarian carcinoid and valvular heart disease

This case report describes the use of octreotide, a long-acting somatostatin analogue, in the management of a patient with an ovarian carcinoid tumour and severe cardiac valvular disease. This patient underwent laparotomy and tumour resection without complication. Anaesthesia was induced with midazolam, fentanyl, and vecuronium, and maintained with isoflurane as well as additional fentanyl and vecuronium. However, we feel that it was the use of octreotide that prevented a life-threatening crisis intraoperatively, and recommend its use in patients with carcinoid syndrome undergoing anaesthesia and surgery.

Sequential infection or immunization of ferrets with a series of influenza A (H3N2) strains (report to the Medical Research Council's Sub-Committee on influenza Vaccines (CDVIP/IV))

Previous studies of boys at Christ's Hospital school have indicated that annual immunization with influenza virus vaccines did not significantly reduce the total incidence of influenza infection compared to unimmunized subjects. In view of the implications of this result, a similar study was conducted in ferrets to clarify these findings. Groups of ferrets were immunized or infected with a series of influenza A (H3N2) viruses over an 18-month period, and the immunity to subsequent live virus challenge was measured after each virus or vaccine exposure. The results indicated that live virus infection gave a more solid immunity than immunization with inactivated vaccine; and the serum haemagglutination-inhibiting antibody response was greater following immunization than following infection. In addition, differences in immunity could not be explained by measurements of cross-reacting and specific antibody, since the incidence of these antibodies was similar in both infected and immunized animals. The results do not suggest an explanation for the different levels of immunity induced following infection or immunization or the results obtained from the Christ's Hospital study. However, the relative contribution of various immune responses to virus or virus antigen is discussed, and it is suggested that the difference in immunity may lie in the ability of live virus infection to stimulate local antibody.

Transmissibility of influenza viruses in hamsters

The growth characteristics of a series of influenza A viruses in the turbinates and lungs of hamsters was measured: in addition, the susceptibility of hamsters to infection by these viruses was also determined. These two criteria were used to give estimates of the growth potential of influenza viruses in hamsters, and the results were related to the incidence of transmission of virus from inoculated hamsters to cage-contacts. The results showed that strains of influenza virus reported as virulent for man tended to grow to higher titres in hamster nasal washings and lungs; were more infective for hamsters when inoculated by the intranasal route; and showed a high incidence of spread to cage-contacts. The methods could provide valuable measurements of virus attenuation and transmissibility for man, and the further exploitation of these techniques could facilitate the production and licensing of live, attenuated influenza virus vaccines.