Templating the 3D structure of conducting polymers with self-assembling peptides.

Self-assembly of a tetrapeptide covalently attached to a thiophene-based monomer produced a gel with a fibrous, porous structure. Conditions were identified in which the thiophene end groups could undergo polymerization while retaining the 3D structure, resulting in the formation of nanofibrous gels with conductivities averaging 10-4 S cm-1.

Long-term surgical and visual outcomes in primary congenital glaucoma: 360 degrees trabeculotomy versus goniotomy.

PURPOSE: To compare the visual outcome and refractive status of children with primary congenital glaucoma who underwent 360 degrees trabeculotomy or goniotomy as an initial surgical procedure. METHODS: This retrospective study describes 24 eyes (15 patients) with primary congenital glaucoma that underwent 360 degrees trabeculotomy as the initial procedure and 40 eyes (23 patients) that underwent goniotomy as the initial procedure. Inclusion criteria were: (1) diagnosis of primary congenital glaucoma and initial angle surgery before 1 year of age, (2) no other ocular or systemic diseases, (3) 360 degrees trabeculotomy or goniotomy as the first surgical procedure, and (4) ability to obtain an Allen or Snellen visual acuity. A postoperative vision of 20/50 or better was considered good. Surgical success was defined as an intraocular pressure (IOP) less than 22 mm Hg with or without medication and without evidence of a progressive optic neuropathy. RESULTS: The IOP was successfully controlled in 92% of eyes in the trabeculotomy group and in 58% of eyes in the goniotomy group (P =.004). Of eyes in the trabeculotomy group, 79% had vision of 20/50 or better compared with 53% in the goniotomy group (P =.03). High myopia was more prevalent in the goniotomy group, but this difference was not statistically significant (P =.16). A poor visual outcome was associated with failure of the angle surgery or poor compliance with follow-up and amblyopia therapy. CONCLUSION: For primary congenital glaucoma, 360 degrees trabeculotomy is a highly effective procedure that results in excellent pressure control and is at least as successful as multiple standard procedures. In this study, 360 degrees trabeculotomy resulted in better vision than what is reported in the literature for standard angle procedures.

Results and complications in 66 cases using a silicone tendon expander on overacting superior obliques with A- pattern anisotropias.

PURPOSE: To supplement limited reports in the literature of the results (outcome)and complications of this procedure with our own recent experience. METHODS: A total of 66 patients with bilateral overaction of the superior oblique and A-pattern strabismus plus 5 patients with a unilateral overacting superior oblique secondary to inferior oblique palsy were treated with a 7 mm silicone expander. RESULTS: The fist group of 66 patients had an average preoperative A-pattern of 39.6 prism diopters with an average correction of the A-pattern from the surgery of 36.3 prism diopters. COMPLICATIONS: Of all 137 operations in these 71 patients, three patients had a sterile orbital cellulitis postoperatively successfully treated with steroids. Also, one patient acquired a Brown's Syndrome-like condition postop'. In these four patients, the sub-Tenon's capsule space had been inadvertently entered during surgery. In addition one unilateral superior oblique palsy occurred postoperatively. CONCLUSION: While this procedure has a very high success rate, special care should be taken with this surgery to avoid entering the sub-Tenon's capsule space.

Ocular plagiocephaly: ocular torticollis with skull and facial asymmetry.

PURPOSE: To observe facial asymmetry in patients with ocular torticollis to better understand its cause. DESIGN: Observational case series. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-four consecutive patients with ocular torticollis in one author's (MFG) private practice were examined for facial asymmetry from January 1998 to August 1998. Some of these, as well as selective others before January 1998 were photographed for a total of 53 photos. METHODS: One author (MFG) examined the frontal, maxillary, and mandibular facial areas of 44 consecutive torticollis patients for appearance of unilateral compression or reduced mass. The laterality of such findings was compared with the side of the head turn or tilt. Photographs of 53 selected ocular torticollis patients were inspected and the direction of nasal tip and columella deviation compared with the direction of head tilt or turn. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjective clinical determination of appearance of unilateral facial compression or reduced facial mass. Subjective photographic determination of nasal tip and columella deviation. RESULTS: Forty-three patients with 10 types of ocular torticollis examined were included. Forty-one of 43 showed compression or reduced mass on the same side as the head turn or tilt, including 3 with adult-onset strabismus. Eight nonsuperior oblique palsy patients had nasal deviation to the same side as the torticollis. Six of the eight had head tilts. Seventeen nonsuperior oblique palsy patients had nasal tip deviation to the opposite side of the torticollis. All were pure head turns. Eight superior oblique palsy patients had nasal tip deviation to the same side as the torticollis; nine had deviation opposite. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with multiple types of ocular torticollis, including face turns, show similar appearance of facial compression on the side of the torticollis, suggesting that the tilt or turn itself may cause the asymmetry. This includes face turn strabismus, in which facial asymmetry has not previously been described. Head tilts are frequently associated with nasal tip deviation to the side of the torticollis, head turns with deviation opposite. We refer to such asymmetric facial changes associated with ocular torticollis as "ocular plagiocephaly."

Unusual presentations of accommodative esotropia.

PURPOSE: Most patients with accommodative esotropia are first examined between the ages of 6 months and 2 years. This paper discusses unusual presentations of accommodative esotropia that occur outside of this age-group and/or have a precipitating event that triggered the esotropia. In a series of patients who were from 5 to 11 years of age, trauma was the precipitating event. In some of the patients under 6 months of age, high myopia, as well as a moderate to large amount of hyperopia, was the cause. In 1 teenager, diabetic ketoacidosis precipitated accommodative esotropia. METHODS: We reviewed all of our records for the past 25 years involving patients with a diagnosis of esotropia, and we found 17 patients who had unusual presentations of accommodative esotropia. Of 8 who were under the age of 6 months, 2 had high myopia and 6 had moderate to large amounts of hyperopia. Nine patients were older than age 5. Eight of the 9 had suffered trauma associated with the presentation of accommodative esotropia, and 1 patient's accommodative esotropia was associated with diabetes. The patients with myopia received their full myopic correction. The children under 6 months of age with hyperopia received their full cycloplegic refraction, and the children over age 5 received the most plus that they were able to accept in a noncycloplegic state consistent with good visual acuity (at least 20/30 in each eye). RESULTS: In 17 patients, accommodative esotropia was initially controlled with glasses. In a few of the trauma cases, bifocals were required for control of near deviation. Only 2 of the patients, in whom onset was under 6 months of age, came to surgery. One had hyperopia controlled for 2 years with glasses, and the other had myopia controlled for 3 years with glasses. CONCLUSIONS: Accommodative esotropia can occur prior to 6 months of age. It can also occur in older children (5 to 14 years of age) and can be precipitated by trauma or diabetic ketoacidosis.

Achieving success with the silicone expander for overacting superior obliques.

PURPOSE: To report the results of and complications with silicone expander surgery for the overacting superior oblique. METHODS: A total of 26 patients with bilateral overaction of the superior oblique and A-pattern strabismus and 5 patients with unilateral overacting superior oblique secondary to inferior oblique palsy were treated with a 7 mm silicone expander. Care was taken not to enter the sub-Tenon's space. RESULTS: The group that underwent bilateral superior oblique surgery had an average preoperative pattern of 37.42 diopters (D) and an average correction of 35.37 D. Three patients had a severe unilateral postoperative inflammatory incident that was successfully treated with oral and topical corticosteroids. One of these patient developed Brown's syndrome. Another patient, who had no postoperative inflammatory incident, also developed Brown's syndrome. In these 4 patients, the sub-Tenon's space was inadvertently entered during surgery. CONCLUSION: The silicone expander surgery has a very high success rate in treating the A-pattern associated with the bilateral overacting superior oblique. This procedure also works well for the unilateral superior oblique that overacts owing to an inferior oblique palsy. No cyclotorsion symptoms occurred after this surgery. However, 4 patients had complications because the sub-Tenon's space was exposed during surgery. With this procedure, there is a learning curve to obtain the skill not to enter the sub-Tenon's space.

Absence of multiple extraocular muscles in craniosynostosis.

The absence of extraocular muscles, particularly the superior rectus1, 2 or superior oblique3, 4 has been recognized to cause strabismus among patients with craniosynostosis. Absence of multiple muscles is less common. In case 1 we note a patient with Pfieffer's syndrome and absent left superior rectus and inferior oblique, with the presence of only a vestigial left superior oblique and an underdeveloped and misinserted left inferior rectus. In case 2 we describe a patient with Apert's syndrome with bilateral absence of the superior rectus and superior oblique muscles. Unsuspected superior rectus absence led to a bilateral elevation deficit after inferior oblique weakening. Also, during the course of treatment, all 3 remaining recti muscles in 1 eye were disinserted. To our knowledge, this is the first report of absent extraocular muscles in Pfieffer's syndrome. Some evidence suggests that collateral anterior segment blood flow exists in cases of absent recti muscles. Further study is needed to determine whether all remaining muscles could be used for strabismus repair. Last, when patients with craniosynostosis require strabismus surgery, we feel that a limited exploration of all extraocular muscles should be carried out.

Medical treatment of pediatric subperiosteal orbital abscess secondary to sinusitis.

BACKGROUND: Subperiosteal abscess may accompany orbital cellulitis secondary to sinusitis. Common surgical principles include incision and drainage of all abscesses. Previous evidence suggests that some orbital abscesses may be treatable with intravenous antibiotics, especially in young children. Children's hospital records were reviewed to determine which abscesses may be treated medically. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Records of patients admitted for orbital cellulitis from 1993 to 1996 were reviewed. Patients with subperiosteal abscess on CT scan were included. Clinical outcomes for initial surgical versus medical management of medial abscesses were compared. Differences in age, hospital stay, and intracranial involvement were analyzed for medial versus nonmedial abscesses. RESULTS: All patients had abscesses adjacent to infected sinuses. Eighteen young children had medial abscesses. Twelve of 13 were cured by initial medical treatment; 4 of 5 underwent successful initial drainage. Outcomes were not statistically different (P > .490). Seven children with nonmedial abscesses were older (P < .001) and had more complicated courses than those with medial abscess. Three of 6 children with superior orbital abscess also had intracranial abscess. Intracranial complication was more likely with superior versus medial orbital abscess (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Medial subperiosteal orbital abscesses secondary to sinusitis in children 6 years of age and younger are highly amenable to treatment with intravenous antibiotics. Older children and children with nonmedial abscesses may have more complicated infections. Children with superior orbital abscesses are at higher risk for intracranial abscess.

Persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous: diagnosis, treatment and results.

While the great majority of patients with persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous never obtain useful vision, it is encouraging that 18.07% of all the patients in this series did achieve 20/200 vision or better (Table V). In the whole group, 12 of 83, or 14.45%, obtained 20/70 vision or better with treatment. All of these successful results were in eyes with the purely anterior PHPV only. In fact, when looking at the results of the anterior PHPV cases alone, 15 of 21 achieved 20/200 or better, which was 71.4% of the patients with anterior presentation only. In this anterior group, 12 of 21 (57.1%) attained 20/70 vision or better with treatment. The goals of treatment with PHPV should always be kept in mind when confronted with an infant who has this entity. First, an effort should be made to save the eye from glaucoma or phthisis, which are the most devastating results of untreated PHPV. A lensectomy will usually prevent the secondary glaucoma, which results from the lens-iris diaphragm being pushed forward to cause a secondary angle-closure glaucoma. A secondary glaucoma can also be produced from recurrent hyphema, which scars the outflow passageways in the angle. By removing the PHPV membrane and reducing the tractional forces applied to the ciliary body by the membrane, one can lessen the possibility of phthisis. Surgery reduces the centripetal, as well as axial, forces generated by the membrane. The second goal is to produce a black pupil for cosmetic reasons, and the third goal of obtaining useful vision is reasonable to expect if the entity presents with only anterior involvement. Bilaterality, while rare in this series (2:83 cases, or 2.4%), was a very poor prognosis for vision, since both patients had only light perception to hand motion vision in both eyes. With the exception of the eye problems, these two children were otherwise normal in their physical and mental development. No measurable stereopsis or binocularity has been achieved in any of these patients. This was primarily because 100% of the patients had strabismus and secondarily to the fact that in the patients with good surgical results, aggressive and prolonged patching may have precluded the development of binocular vision. Two patients have uncontrolled glaucoma with only light perception vision. Both of these patients are comfortable and pain-free. Two patients have, in time, developed phthisis and wear a cosmetic shell. No cases have required enucleation in this series. (The pathological specimen from Figs 1 and 2 represents an enucleated eye during my residency.) Two patients developed an extensive cyclitic membrane after surgery, which completely occluded the pupillary space. Both patients had originally undergone extensive membrane removal of their PHPV with the production of a nice clear pupillary space. The first patient developed the cyclitic membrane only 3 weeks after the original surgery. A second surgery has been successful in clearing the pupillary opening, but the patient has only hand motion vision at 1 foot due to amblyopia. The second patient had been fitted with a gas-permeable hard contact lens after original surgery for an anterior PHPV. An extensive cyclitic membrane developed 4 months later and required a secondary procedure to clear the pupillary space. The patient's pupillary space has remained open after this second procedure, and the patient is currently wearing a contact lens and undergoing amblyopia therapy. The most important factor in the prognosis of patients with persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous is the extent of the membrane. Families should be told that if their child has only an anterior presentation, then surgical and amblyopia therapies offer a good chance for useful vision. Patients with a combination of anterior and posterior PHPV, or patients with only a posterior PHPV, should be advised that there is a reasonable opportunity to save the eye from glaucoma and phthisis, but that useful vision is usually not

Acute rectus muscle palsy in children as a result of orbital myositis.

OBJECTIVE: Acute rectus muscle palsy caused by orbital myositis is often confused with infectious orbital cellulitis. The purpose of this article is to clarify the former condition by explaining how it is manifested and treated. METHODS: The seven children less than age 11 years in this study were examined after having an acute onset of ocular pain. Physical examination indicated a loss of motility in the field of action of the involved extraocular rectus muscle. Computed tomographic examination confirmed the existence of orbital myositis. Treatment consisted of intravenous or oral administration of corticosteroids. RESULTS: In all the initial evaluations, computed tomography showed the isolated rectus muscle to be enlarged. In four of the patients in whom the lateral rectus was involved, esotropia was present in the primary position. In the fifth patient with lateral rectus involvement, esotropia was seen only in the field of gaze of the involved lateral rectus muscle. The patient with medial rectus involvement had exotropia, and the patient with superior rectus involvement had hypotropia on the involved side. Each had injection and chemosis of the conjunctiva and Tenon fascia only in the quadrant overlying the involved rectus muscle. CONCLUSIONS: Children with orbital myositis can have an acute rectus muscle palsy. The inflammation and strabismus are exquisitely sensitive to systemic corticosteroid therapy, which produces a rapid resolution of symptoms. If the steroid therapy is discontinued abruptly, the myositis can recur.