Darryl J. Ainbinder

Hydroxyapatite orbital implant abscess: histopathologic correlation of an infected implant following evisceration.

Summary A 60-year-old diabetic man with a history of ocular trauma and absolute glaucoma underwent evisceration with placement of an 18 mm hydroxyapatite orbital implant. The host scleral shell was left intact with no posterior opening for vascular ingrowth. One year later the patient presented with implant exposure, limited fibrovascular ingrowth into the implant, and a Staphylococcus aureus orbital abscess. The implant was removed, and pathology demonstrated suppurative inflammation with limited vascular ingrowth. This patients risk factors for an implant-associated wound infection included diabetes, impaired wound healing, history of trauma, early implant exposure, and delayed fibrovascular ingrowth. Awareness of the infectious complications of any orbital implant including hydroxyapatite allows the surgeon to alter management strategies in an attempt to reduce such risk. Surgeons may consider posterior scleral portals with evisceration surgery to facilitate hydroxyapatite vascularization. Patient selection, implant size, and surgical technique are key factors for a management strategy designed to reduce the risk of implant infection.

Gaze-evoked amaurosis: a report of five cases.

OBJECTIVE To highlight the various causes of gaze-evoked amaurosis. DESIGN Retrospective noncomparative interventional case series. PARTICIPANTS Five patients treated at our facility over the past 6 years. METHODS Clinical presentation, radiologic studies, surgical management, and postsurgical results are presented. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Visual acuity, clinical findings of gaze-evoked amaurosis. RESULTS Only two patients had classic intraorbital etiologies, one with an intraconal cavernous hemangioma and one with an intraconal foreign body. Three patients had extraorbital processes, two with orbital fractures and one with a sinus tumor. Only two of our patients initially were aware of the gaze-evoked amaurosis at presentation. Appropriate surgery was curative in all cases. CONCLUSIONS Gaze-evoked amaurosis is a rare condition, classically implicating intraconal orbital pathology. In one of the largest case series published to date, we found extraorbital etiologies are also capable of producing gaze-evoked vision loss. Gaze-evoked amaurosis should be suspected and tested for in any orbital condition.

Chorioretinitis Sclopetaria from BB Ex Memoria

Chorioretinitis sclopetaria presents a characteristic pattern of choroidal and retinal changes caused by a high velocity projectile passing into the orbit, in close proximity to the globe. While it is unlikely that a patient should completely forget the trauma causing such damage, preserved or compensated visual function may blur the patients memory of these events over time. Characteristic physical findings help to clarify the antecedent history. Despite the lack of an acknowledged history of ocular trauma or surgery, in our case, the characteristic ocular findings discovered at presentation allowed for recognition of the underlying etiology. Because of good visual function, the patient had completely forgotten about the trauma that occurred 12 years earlier. Strabismus surgery was performed for treatment of the presenting symptomatic diplopia. The pathognomonic findings in chorioretinitis sclopetaria are invaluable in correctly diagnosing this condition, especially when a history of ocular trauma is unavailable.

Methicillin-resistant ascending facial and orbital cellulitis in an operation Iraqi Freedom troop population.

Purpose: To present a descriptive case series of methicillin-resistant ascending facial and orbital cellulitis in an Operation Iraqi Freedom troop population. Methods: A physician’s transfer records of patients cared for and or transferred from the 31st and 86th Combat Support Hospitals during Operation Iraqi Freedom between September 2004 and March 2005 were reviewed. Cases of facial and orbital cellulitis caused by a nasal mucosal source were included in the case series. Results: Five cases of ascending facial and/or orbital cellulitis caused by an aggressive nasal source are reported. All nasal microabscess cultures demonstrated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus species. None of the patients complained of nasal pain as the chief complaint, and all patients overlooked the follicular abscess at or inside the nares. Conclusions: Occult nasal infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus can be the source of an aggressive ascending facial and orbital cellulitis. The nasal source can be overlooked because of the distracting presentation of the orbital and systemic findings. With the increasing prevalence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, a nasal examination and nasal culture can greatly assist in the diagnosis and management of patients presenting with orbital cellulitis without a clear source of infection.

Pediatric Conjunctival Tumors

Pediatric conjunctival tumors are a diverse group of lesions arising from either the surface epithelium or the underlying stroma. The mesenchymal origin of the stroma accounts for the vast spectrum of conjunctival tumors seen. This chapter’s discussion is limited to the more frequently occurring lesions. Pediatric conjunctival tumors maybe classified as congenital, epithelial, mesenchymal, lymphoid, or pigmented (Table 23-1).