Raf Ghabrial

A comparison of external and endoscopic endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy for acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction

Purpose To compare success rates of external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) and endoscopic endonasal DCR for acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO). Design Historical cohort study. Participants 100 patients who underwent external DCR and 105 patients who underwent endoscopic endonasal DCR. Methods A retrospective review of medical records of patients with acquired NLDO who underwent DCR from 2004–2010 was performed. Data regarding the lacrimal drainage system, eye examination, surgical outcomes, patient symptom control, and postoperative care were analyzed. Main outcome measures Surgical success was defined by patient’s resolution of symptoms with patency on irrigation. Surgical failure was defined as no symptomatic reduction in epiphora and/or an inability to irrigate the lacrimal system postoperatively. Results A total of 205 patients underwent surgeries for acquired NLDO. The average age was 69 years, and 62.4% of subjects were female. Pooled results showed that both surgical approaches had similar success rates (endoscopic endonasal DCR 82.4% versus external DCR 81.6%; P = 0.895). Complication rates were low in both types of surgery. This included three patients with postoperative hemorrhage (two who had endonasal DCR surgery and one having external DCR surgery). This resolved with conservative treatment. Postoperative problems with lacrimal patency (including canalicular obstruction) occurred to 6.8% of endoscopic patients and 9% of those with the external DCR surgery. Of the 14 patients who had their silicone tubes fall out before the 2-month assessment, 10 were classified as failures (71%), in contrast to only a failure rate of 13.9% of those whose tubes were present for the recommended time. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.01). Conclusion The success rate of DCR for acquired NLDO in our group of patients was high overall with a low complication rate between the two types of surgery. There was no statistically significant difference between endoscopic and external DCR. Endoscopic surgery may have a benefit of preserving the lacrimal pump system and leaving no surgical scar. Patient preference and availability of each service should direct management. Hence endoscopic endonasal DCR surgery should be considered for primary treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction.

Neuro-ophthalmology of invasive fungal sinusitis: 14 consecutive patients and a review of the literature

Invasive fungal sinusitis is a rare condition that usually occurs in immunocompromised patients and often presents as an orbital apex syndrome. It is frequently misdiagnosed on presentation and is almost always lethal without early treatment.

Orbital exenteration: a 15-year study of 38 cases.

Purpose: To determine the clinical indications and outcomes after orbital exenteration when histologic margins were reported as “clear,” examining factors affecting local and systemic recurrences and mortality. Methods: Retrospective case review of exenterations performed in Sydney Eye Hospital in Sydney, Australia, between 1990 and 2004. Reviewed data indications for exenteration, histopathologic diagnosis, and recurrences on follow-up. Results: Secondary intraorbital spread of malignant adnexal tumors was the most common indication for exenteration (34 of 38). Among these, the site of the primary neoplasm was the eyelid in 19 cases and the ocular surface in 12 cases. Exenteration was total in 26 cases, subtotal in 8 cases, and extended in 4 cases. In 11 cases, a dermis-fat graft was used for socket reconstruction; 24 cases were allowed to granulate spontaneously. The average healing time was 5 months (range, 4–6 months) for spontaneous granulation, and 6 weeks (range, 4–8 weeks) for dermis-fat grafts. Perineural spread was demonstrated histopathologically in 7 specimens. During follow-up (median, 48 months), there were 9 recurrences (23.7%): 3 local and 6 systemic. Seven patients (18.4%) died of the disease during the follow-up period. Conclusions: Dermis-fat grafts for reconstruction of the exenterated socket seem to optimize the aesthetic results. The first year is the most important period for follow-up of local recurrences, but systemic examination is needed for the longer follow-up. This may have implications in terms of reconstruction and adjunctive treatment following exenteration surgery.

Endoscopic Dacryocystorhinostomy in Acute Dacryocystitis: A Multicenter Case Series

Objective: To present our experience of early endonasal DCR (endoDCR) in the treatment of acute dacryocystitis (AD). Methods. International multicenter non-comparative retrospective study. Results: Eighteen patients were identified. All were treated with antibiotics prior to surgery with a median of time from referral to endoDCR surgeon to surgery of 3 days (range 1-7). Surgery was performed using mechanical powered endoDCR (MENDCR) in 15/18 (83.3%) cases; mitomycin C was used in 5/18 (27.8%) and all cases underwent bicanalicular intubation. An increase in perioperative bleeding was noted in 5/18 (27.8%), causing interference in surgical technique in one (5.6%). Resolution of AD was seen in all cases, with no recurrences. 17/18 (94.4%) cases were free of epiphora at median follow-up of 12 months (range 2–36), with nasal endoscopy revealing free flow of fluorescein through the ostium in 17/18 (94.4%) of cases. The median total length of stay was 1 night (range 0–3). Conclusions: EndoDCR surgery performed early in AD led to rapid resolution of the condition in all cases and was associated with subsequent anatomical and functional success in 94.4% of cases. Early endoDCR surgery in the context of AD and the potential associated health economic benefits are worth further consideration and study.

Primary orbital intraosseous hemangioma.

Purpose: Primary orbital intraosseous hemangioma represents a rare, histopathologically benign, vascular tumor of the bony orbit. Only 41 cases have been documented in the literature to date. The authors present 4 new cases of the disease and review the relevant literature. Methods: Retrospective, multicenter case note analysis of 4 patients with histopathologically confirmed primary orbital intraosseous hemangioma and a systematic review of the English-language literature. Results: Four new cases of cavernous haemangiomata are presented with varying clinical manifestations, radiologic appearances, and treatments. Literature review (including the present 4 cases) yielded 45 cases in total. Presentation is often in the fourth and fifth decades (42% cases), the frontal bone being most commonly affected, followed by the zygoma, sphenoid, and maxilla. Intracranial extension occurred in 4 cases. Median duration of symptoms before presentation was 12 months (range, 1 month to 15 years) and the most frequent presentation was a painless mass, often on the orbital rim. The radiologic findings are reviewed. Histopathologically, the lesions were cavernous in 80%, capillary in 17%, and mixed in 3%; the capillary subtype seemed to be associated with more aggressive disease. Treatment was mainly by surgical excision and occasionally complicated by significant blood loss; preoperative embolization of lesions may reduce bleeding. Conclusions: Primary orbital intraosseous hemangioma is a rare vascular tumor that typically presents with a mass effect in the orbits of patients in the fourth and fifth decades of life. Preoperatively, it is important to be cognizant of the possible diagnosis as surgery can be complicated by life-threatening hemorrhage.

Orbital and adnexal Rosai-Dorfman disease.

Purpose: To report the clinico-radiological findings, clinical course, and treatment outcomes in five patients with orbital and adnexal Rosai-Dorfman(R-D) disease. Methods: Analysis of case records of patients with Rosai-Dorfman disease seen at four orbital units between January 2000 and December 2006. Results: Five patients (3 Caucasian males, 1 Hispanic female, and 1 African female), mean age 41.1 years, (range 18 months to 75 years) with orbital or adnexal Rosai-Dorfman disease were seen during the study period. Four of the patients had orbital involvement and one had eyelid involvement. Presenting features were proptosis (4 patients), diplopia (1 patient), epiphora (1 patient), and eyelid thickening (1 patient). Three of the patients with orbital involvement also had adjacent paranasal sinus involvement, and the nasolacrimal duct was involved in one patient. The patient with eyelid involvement had evidence of cutaneous R-D disease elsewhere in the body. The follow-up period (since initial diagnosis of R-D disease) ranged from 1 month to 15 years, and 2 of the patients had a history of recurrent growth despite treatment. Surgical debulking was employed in 2 patients with good results. Conclusions: Orbital and adnexal Rosai-Dorfman disease is a condition with protean manifestations that may show indolent but unremitting growth despite treatment. The disease may remain extranodal and localized for many years. Adjacent paranasal sinus involvement is commonly seen in conjunction with orbital disease, simulating midline destructive lesions. Surgical debulking gives good results in patients with functional or significant cosmetic problems.

External Dacryocystorhinostomy: Assessing Factors that Influence Outcome

Purpose: To present the experience of external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) at a tertiary referral center and investigate factors that may affect clinical outcomes. Methods: The clinical records of all patients who underwent external DCR at Sydney Eye Hospital between May 2000 and August 2007 were reviewed. Data were collected in regards to patient demographics, preoperative assessment, operative details, surgical technique, postoperative management, and clinical outcomes. This information was then analyzed, with emphasis on factors that influence surgical outcomes and success. Results: A total of 338 cases were reviewed. The mean age at time of surgery was 64.82 years and the majority of patients were female (65%). Epiphora was the major preoperative symptom. Assisted local anesthesia and day stay surgery were the most common surgical settings. There was a statistically significant difference in theatre time between consultant and trainee surgeons (P < 0.00001). The mean final follow-up time was 11 months. Overall, 77.3% of patients had full resolution of symptoms and 20.8% had partial resolution. Only five patients (1.9%) had no resolution of symptoms. There was no significant difference in outcomes between consultants and trainees. Patients with anatomical nasolacrimal obstruction had significantly better outcomes compared with functional obstruction (P = 0.04). The postoperative fluorescein dye disappearance test was a good predictor of clinical success (P = 0.005). Silicone intubation for greater than 6 months was associated with better outcomes (P = 0.002). Conclusions: The results at our tertiary center are comparable to results stated in the literature. In our series, only the amount of nasolacrimal obstruction and duration of postoperative intubation influenced surgical success.

Lesions mimicking lacrimal gland pleomorphic adenoma.

Aim To report a series of patients with lacrimal gland lesions simulating the clinicoradiological features of lacrimal gland pleomorphic adenoma (LGPA). Methods Multicentre retrospective, interventional case series. Clinical records of all patients with lesions mimicking LGPA seen in five orbital units were reviewed. Results The study included 14 patients (seven men and seven women) with a mean age of 50.9 years. The diagnosis of LGPA was made in all cases by experienced orbital surgeons, based on clinicoradiological features, and lacrimal gland excision was performed. Postoperative histology revealed lymphoma (four patients), chronic dacryoadenitis (three patients), adenoid cystic carcinoma (two patients), Sjogrens syndrome (two patients), cavernous haemangioma (one patient), benign lymphoid hyperplasia (one patient) and granulomatous dacryoadenitis (one patient). Comparison with the total number of histologically confirmed LGPA cases seen during the study period revealed that 22.6% of cases of suspected LGPA were misdiagnosed based on clinicoradiological criteria. Conclusions Many different lesions may mimic the clinicoradiological features of LGPA. The accepted clinicoradiological criteria used for the diagnosis of LGPA have a high false-positive rate, even in experienced hands. Based on this study, the authors believe that fine-needle aspiration biopsy or intraoperative biopsy and frozen section diagnosis may help reduce unnecessary lacrimal gland excision.

Transitional cell carcinoma of the nasolacrimal sac

Tumors in the lacrimal sac are rare yet important due to their malignant and potentially lethal outcomes if there is a misdiagnosis or delay in treatment. Epithelial tumors predominate with squamous cell carcinoma. We report a transitional cell carcinoma of the lacrimal sac and management course for the patient.

Cicatricial ectropion: repair with myocutaneous flaps and canthopexy

Background:  To evaluate the effectiveness of myocutaneous upper eyelid flaps combined with canthopexy to treat cicatricial lower eyelid ectropion.