Retinoblastoma and optic nerve enhancement in a brain magnetic resonance scan: is it always a metastasis? / Retinoblastoma y realce del nervio óptico en la resonancia magnética cerebral: ¿es siempre una metástasis?

CASE REPORT: The case is presented on a girl with a unilateral retinoblastoma that required treatment with intra-arterial chemotherapy. In the nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of the brain performed 1 month after intra-arterial chemotherapy treatment, post-laminar optic nerve (ON) enhancement was observed, leading to the suspicion of an ON tumour infiltration. Additional examinations were requested by which a probable optic neuropathy was diagnosed. DISCUSSION: The ON enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in retinoblastoma generally corresponds to tumour invasion of the ON. However, other diagnostic alternatives associated with the use of new treatments, such as intra-arterial chemotherapy, should be considered.

The distribution of hypertension in the Philippine General Hospital

The distribution of hypertension in patients admitted to five clinical departments of the Philippine General Hospital for two years (1966-1967) was analyzed. Out of a total of 32,731 admissions, 3,121 or 9.50 were hypertensive. The Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology contributed the highest number or 1,971 (63.10) and the Department of Medicine ranked second with 725 hypertensives (23.20). It should be noted that the former had the largest admissions or 21,592 in contrast to the latter which had only 3,729. Minor contributions or less than 10 came from the Departments of Surgery, Eye and Ear, Nose, ThroatHowever, based on the of admissions per department, the highest number of hypertensives came from the Department of Medicine or 725 (19.40). The Eye department ranked second with 14.80 of its admission followed by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology or 9.10The breakdown of the various types of hypertension revealed that toxemia of pregnancy (predominantly pre-eclampsia) was the most frequent or 1,773 out of a total of 2,711 (65.40). The next one was probable primary hypertension or 784 (28.91). The rest of the secondary types totalled 3.23 of which chronic renal diseases (glomerulonephritis and pyelonephritis) were the most common. The rarer types (less than 1) were as follows: aortic insufficiency, reno-vascular hypertension, increased intra-cranial pressure, atherosclerosis, endocrine hypertension, acute glomerulonephritis, Cushings syndrome and polycystic kidneys. (Summary)