Malignant lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue of the lacrimal gland: case report and review of literature.

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas are increasingly recognized as a distinct clinical-pathologic entity among the non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. It usually presents as a localized disease process in extranodal tissues or organs such as stomach, salivary gland, thyroid gland, and not infrequently in orbital adnexa. Radiotherapy has an important role in the management, although long-term clinical results specifically addressing localized MALT lymphomas are lacking. We report a case of localized MALT lymphoma of the lacrimal gland, with successful treatment by radiation therapy (total dose 25 Gy) with 3 years of clinical follow-up. A review of the published literature was undertaken to assess the role of radiotherapy in the treatment of this disease involving orbital tissues, specifically, the lacrimal gland. Based on previous reports of patients with orbital lymphomas (low grade) and pseudolymphomas, of which many will now be recognized as MALT lymphomas, radiotherapy has an excellent local control rate and would be the treatment of choice. However, long-term results of pathologically confirmed cases of MALT lymphomas need further study because occasional relapses at distant sites can occur.

Positron emission tomography in patients with benign essential blepharospasm.

PURPOSE: To identify possible abnormalities in regional cerebral glucose metabolism in patients with benign essential blepharospasm or Meige syndrome using positron emission tomography. METHODS: Ten patients with benign essential blepharospasm and one patient with Meige syndrome were examined using positron emission tomography with deoxyglucose labeled with fluorine 18. The severity of muscle spasm at the time of positron emission tomography was recorded in each patient. In five patients, positron tomography was performed on two occasions (once before and again 1 to 2 weeks after botulinum injection) to look for reproducibility of the findings on positron emission tomography also to see if there was any correlation between the severity of symptoms and positron emission tomography findings. RESULTS: The mean reference ratio for fluorodeoxyglucose F18 metabolism was significantly elevated in the striatum compared with the frontal, temporal, or parietal regions. Glucose metabolism was also elevated in the thalami. There was no correlation between the severity of blepharospasm and the degree of hyperactivity in the striatum. In the patients who underwent positron emission tomography scanning on two occasions, there was no significant difference between the two studies in any of the regions analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' findings support the hypothesis that benign essential blepharospasm and Meige syndrome may be associated with overactivity of the striatum and the thalamus. Positron emission tomography may prove to be a useful research tool and a possible adjunct diagnostic technique for benign essential blepharospasm and Meige syndrome.

Difficult intubation and brain-stem anaesthesia.

PURPOSE: To present a case of difficult intubation with brainstem anaesthesia after retrobulbar block with bupivacaine and lidocaine and sedation with midazolam and to point out that close monitoring and timely treatment is important in preventing an unfavourable outcome. CLINICAL FEATURES: An 82-yr-old man with treated hypertension and stable angina was scheduled for cataract extraction. Physical examination revealed a class 2 airway. He had a retrobulbar block after topical tetracaine drops, with bupivacaine 0.5% and lidocaine 2% with hyaluronidase under sedation with 1 mg midazolam. Five minutes after the block, respiration slowed, he became unresponsive and oxygen saturation decreased to 80%. Immediate ventilation with mask without additional oxygen improved saturation. Attempted tracheal intubation failed: the epiglottis could not be visualized despite flaccid jaw and extremities. A laryngeal mask airway was placed which was leaking and adequate ventilation could not be achieved but a second laryngeal mask airway was placed successfully. CONCLUSION: This case emphasizes the need for dose monitoring and personnel capable of managing the difficult airway when intra-orbital anaesthesia is used.

Cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive in blepharoplasty.

This article reports the results of an animal study designed to evaluate the usefulness of butyl 2-cyanoacrylate (Histoacryl) in blepharoplasty skin closure. Bilateral upper and lower lid blepharoplasty skin incisions were made on seven pigs. We compared the wounds closed with 6.0 nylon to those closed with Histoacryl at 1, 2, 4, and 9 weeks postoperatively. The tensile strength of the "glued" incisions was significantly greater than that of the sutured incisions only at the 9-week postoperative interval (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in bond strength, however, between the two methods at 1, 2 and 4 weeks postoperatively. Histopathologic analyses of sutured and glued wounds were compared at the same designated postoperative periods. No deleterious effects were found in the overall healing of the cutaneous wounds closed with Histoacryl.

Treatment of blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm with botulinum A toxin: a Canadian multicentre study.

Botulinum A exotoxin was recently approved for use in Canada. We describe the efficacy of botulinum toxin in the management of 235 patients with blepharospasm (mean age 64.3 years) and 130 patients with hemifacial spasm (mean age 60.4 years) treated at three Canadian ophthalmologic centres between 1984 and 1989. A total of 98% of the patients with blepharospasm and 100% of the patients with hemifacial spasm had significant relief of their symptoms; however, 11% of the former and 2% of the latter did not respond to the usual starting concentrations of the drug and needed stronger dosages for relief. The duration of relief varied widely in both groups. Up to 7% of patients had ineffective treatments but responded to subsequent injections. Analysis of variance and linear trend statistics showed that there were no changes in the mean duration of relief over the first several treatments for individual patients in either group. Side effects were transient and included ptosis, exposure keratitis, epiphora and strabismus.

Lacrimal catheterization.

A new atraumatic technique for identifying the medial cut end of a surgically lacerated canaliculus is described. It offers the advantage of allowing the surgeon to pass a stent through the canaliculus only, without surgically manipulating the lacrimal sac or nasolacrimal duct or damaging the ipsilateral canaliculus.

The orbicularis stripping operation for intractable blepharospasm: surgical results in eighteen patients.

The orbicularis stripping operation may be the only method of relieving the symptoms of essential blepharospasm when medical means and botulinum toxin injections fail.

Sophisticated radiology in otolaryngology. II. Diagnostic imaging: non-roentgenographic (non x-ray) modalities (ultrasound, nuclear medicine, thermography).

Newer forms of radiologic diagnostic imaging now include non-roentgenographic modalities such as ultrasound, nuclear medicin, and thermography, all of which can be applied to otolaryngology. It is the purpose of this presentation to demonstrate these modalities, and indicate their clinical application, yet in its earliest stages, to otolaryngology.