Dacryocystectomy: A fibrin glue-assisted subfascial excision

This article describes a technique of dacryocystectomy involving dissection within the subfascial plane, in which the lacrimal sac fascia is preserved and the orbital fat remains undisturbed. The lacrimal sac cavity was directly injected with Tisseel fibrin glue mixed with trypan blue. This led to sac distension and facilitated its separation from surrounding periosteal and fascial attachments. Staining the lacrimal sac epithelium improved definition of the mucosal lining. Transverse sections of the lacrimal sac specimen were histologically analyzed, which confirmed that dissection was completed within a subfascial plane. The technique herein described facilitates en bloc excision of the lacrimal sac without breaching the fascial plane that separates the sac from orbital fat.

Congenital orbital teratoma.

revealed mature tissues from each of the three germ cell layers which confirmed the diagnosis of mature teratoma. We describe the successful use of demis fat graft in socket reconstruction following lid‑sparing exenteration for congenital orbital teratoma.

Dynamic focal retinal arteriolar vasospasm in migraine.

A 48-year-old man presented following an episode of sudden onset simultaneous inferior altitudinal visual loss in his left eye and visual obscuration with shimmering in the inferonasal quadrant of the right eye. Clinical examination demonstrated left superior hemiretinal artery occlusion and an area of focal dynamic spasm along the right superior temporal branch retinal artery, the arteriolar spastic cycle was about 2 sec in duration. Hematological (including complete blood count, thrombophilia screen, vasculitic screen and serum magnesium), carotid, and cardiac investigations were normal. He was given acetazolamide 500 mg orally, timolol maleate 0.5% eye drops once daily and sublingual amyl-nitrate 0.8 mg, and maintained on felodipine 10 mg/day and aspirin 100 mg/day. The area of focal arteriolar spasm in the right eye resolved over two months. To our knowledge there are no prior reports of photographically documented dynamic focal retinal vascular spasm on a MEDLINE and PUBMED search.

Vertical lid split approach for optic nerve sheath decompression.

We describe a vertical lid split orbitotomy approach to perform optic nerve sheath fenestration which was done in a patient with idiopathic intracranial hypertension. A vertical lid split incision was used to enter the superomedial orbit and approach the optic nerve sheath. This approach resulted in a successful nerve sheath fenestration, with improvement in the patient's symptoms. The vertical lid split incision provides access to the optic nerve sheath with minimal morbidity and may be an option for optic nerve sheath decompression.

Pulsating enophthalmos in association with an orbital varix.

We report a case of pulsating enophthalmos secondary to orbital varix associated with orbital bony defects. A 64-year-old female with pulsating enophthalmos of the right eye was found to have a right orbital mass with bony defects of the orbit. Valsalva maneuver failed to induce proptosis. The diagnosis of orbital varix was confirmed by exploratory orbitotomy. During general anesthesia for orbitotomy, proptosis of the right eye was noted. Ophthalmologists should be aware of the association between orbital varices and cranial bony defects and encephaloceles. Proptosis induced by general anesthesia and positive pressure ventilation suggests an underlying distensible venous anomaly.

Orbital endoscopic surgery.

Minimally invasive "keyhole" surgery performed using endoscopic visualization is increasing in popularity and is being used by almost all surgical subspecialties. Within ophthalmology, however, endoscopic surgery is not commonly performed and there is little literature on the use of the endoscope in orbital surgery. Transorbital use of the endoscope can greatly aid in visualizing orbital roof lesions and minimizing the need for bone removal. The endoscope is also useful during decompression procedures and as a teaching aid to train orbital surgeons. In this article, we review the history of endoscopic orbital surgery and provide an overview of the technique and describe situations where the endoscope can act as a useful adjunct to orbital surgery.