RESUMO
Purpose: To study the incidence of dry eye disease (DED) in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), to find a correlation between tumor location and total radiation dose with DED, and to report various radiotherapy (RT) induced acute toxic effects on ocular and adnexal structures. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary eye?care center on 90 patients of HNC undergoing EBRT from March 2021 to May 2022. All underwent a thorough clinical history and complete ophthalmological examination including an ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire, visual acuity, anterior segment, angle and posterior segment examination, dry eye workup including the Schirmer test, tear meniscus height, tear break?up time, corneal fluorescein staining and grading, and meibography by auto?refractometer and its scoring at each visit. Patients were evaluated before the start of RT and then at 1 week, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks post?RT. Radiation records of all patients were noted. Data were analyzed using percentage and Microsoft Excel. Results: Of the 90 patients, 66 were male and 24 female (M: F ratio of 2.75) with a median age of 52.5 years (range 24 to 80 years). The most common HNC was the carcinoma oral cavity and lip. Most patients received a total radiation dose between 46 to 55 Gy. DED developed in 48 (53.3%) patients. The incidence of DED increased with the increase in total radiation dose (r = 0.987). DED was also found to be correlated with tumor location (r = 0.983). Conclusion: The incidence of DED positively correlated with the total radiation dose and tumor location.
RESUMO
Purpose: To study facial nerve palsy (FNP) in post?COVID?19?mucormycosis patients and its ocular complications, report different presentations of FNP in such patients, and propose its etiopathogenesis based on presentation and clinico?radiologic localization. Methods: A prospective cohort study was carried out in patients of post?COVID?19?mucormycosis who presented at our tertiary center, over a period of 3 months. Motor and sensory examination of the facial nerve was done to diagnose FNP and localize the lesion clinically. Slit?lamp examination was done for grading corneal involvement. MRI brain, orbit, and paranasal sinuses (PNS) with contrast were studied to find involvement along the facial nerve. It was assessed whether this site of lesion corresponded with clinical localization. Data were analyzed using the percentage of total cases and Fisher抯 test. Results: A total of 300 patients with post?COVID?19 mucormycosis were examined, of which 30 (10%) patients were found to have FNP. All were lower motor neuron (LMN) type and were associated with corneal complications. The most common site clinically was distal to the chorda tympani (66.66%) and radiologically was infratemporal (IT) fossa (63.4%). The clinical localization significantly correlated with the radiological findings (P = 0.012). Twenty percent of patients showed incomplete involvement of facial muscles. Conclusion: FNP was found to be of LMN type. The most common site of insult was IT fossa. There was a good clinico?radiological correspondence of lesions. Isolated lesions were also found along the peripheral nerve course, presenting as incomplete facial palsy. Recognition of FNP in post?COVID?19 mucormycosis, in all its variable forms, is important to manage corneal complications