Periocular Desmoplastic Malignant Melanoma and Orbital Invasion With Uncontrollable Disease: A Case Report.

Primary orbital melanoma and metastatic cutaneous melanoma of the orbit are extremely rare. Desmoplastic melanoma (DM) is an infrequent variant of melanoma that can extend from a superficial location into deep tissues by neurotropic mechanisms. A 78-year-old male was referred to us with a periocular mixed malignant melanoma (spindle cell melanoma with desmoplastic reaction) in his left lower eyelid with uncontrollable disease (orbital and inferior orbital rim invasion) despite treatment. The surgical technique consisted of an extended orbital exenteration, maxillectomy, and ethmoidectomy, with a 2 cm macroscopic surgical margin. We performed a delayed socket reconstruction with a temporalis muscle flap using a transorbital approach. The patient remained disease-free for 1.5 years with a good quality of life since exenteration surgery. At this time, he presented a recurrence in the area of the malar scar with a new orbital invasion, and finally, he died due to mediastinal, pleural, and pulmonary metastasis. The treatment of a cutaneous melanoma arising in the periocular region is a challenging reconstructive problem and it may compromise the globe and visual function.

Papillophlebitis in a COVID-19 patient: Inflammation and hypercoagulable state.

INTRODUCTION: Papillophlebitis is a rare condition characterized by venous congestion and optic disc edema, which has been suggested to occur as a consequence of inflammation of the retinal veins or, possibly, the capillaries of the optic disc, leading to venous insufficiency and compression of the central retina vein. The disease affects healthy young adults and commonly has a benign course, however, if complications such as macular edema or ischemia appears, treatment should be instituted immediately to avoid poor prognosis. CASE REPORT: A 40-year old white male patient consulted for a slight decrease in the sensitivity of the visual field in his left eye (OS). Visual acuities (VA) were 20/20 in both eyes. OS fundus examination showed dilated and tortuous retinal vessels, disc edema, and retinal hemorrhages. The patient was diagnosed with papillophlebitis. OS VA decreased to 20/200 due to macular edema, and he was treated with a intravitreal dexamethasone implant. An exhaustive and interdisciplinary exploration process was performed, identifying a recent disease and recovery of Covid-19 as the only factor of inflammation and coagulation alteration. Other systemic diseases were excluded. We also describe a rapid decrease in disc and macular edema after intravitreal dexametasone injection, which could support the inflammatory hypothesis. CONCLUSION: The importance of this case lies in the possible association of papillophlebitis with the new Covid-19 disease. We believe that the inflammatory reaction and the coagulation alteration present in our patient due to Sars-Cov2 coronavirus may have acted as risk factors for the development of papillophlebitis.

Anidulafungin versus fluconazole in the treatment of Candida albicans chorioretinitis.

BACKGROUND: Candida albicans chorioretinitis is the most common cause of endogenous fungal endophthalmitis. Echinocandins are recommended as first-line therapy in the treatment of invasive candidiasis (IC), but in clinically stable patients with IC and endophthalmitis caused by Candida species susceptible to azole compounds these are the first-line treatment due to their better intraocular penetration. CASE REPORT: A 42-year-old woman admitted to hospital for duodenal perforation after gastrointestinal surgery and treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics developed C. albicans candidemia. According to protocol, an antifungal treatment with anidulafungin was given. The patient presented no visual symptoms but on routinary ophthalmoscopic examination multiple bilateral chorioretinal lesions were observed. Systemic therapy was changed to fluconazole, with good systemic and ocular results. CONCLUSIONS: Azole compounds are the first-line therapy for endophthalmitis associated with candidemia. However, clinical guidelines often propose echinocandins as the first option for IC. In some cases, C. albicans chorioretinitis will require a change in the systemic treatment to assure better intraocular penetration. According to the current evidence and our own experience, routine funduscopy is not necessary in all IC patients. However, we do recommend fundus examination in patients with visual symptoms or those unable to report them (paediatric patients and patients with an altered level of consciousness), and in those who are being treated with echinocandins in monotherapy.

Orbital-Conjunctival-Eyelid Hemorrhage-Hematoma due to Inappropriate use of FFP2/NK95 Facial Mask in COVID-19.

A non-traumatic or spontaneous orbital hemorrhage (NTOH) is usually caused by the presence of an orbital mass, an inflammation, an infection, a bleeding disorder or those called idiopathic. This entity usually affects elderly adults and some risk factors can be identified. The NTOH normally acts like a benign and self-limited process, but attending to its anatomical pattern, may need specific management. A 64-year-old male referred to us with sudden binocular double vision, without loss of visual acuity (VA) or pain immediately after fitting the FFP2/NK95 facial mask for air protection during the pandemic COVID-19. He presented sudden orbital-subconjunctival-eyelid cutaneous hemorrhage-hematoma with conjunctival protrusion from the palpebral fissure without proptosis. There was also limitation in adduction and a cutaneous hematoma in the inner third of the lower eyelid. After 48 hours, the diplopia had resolved and ocular motility was completely re-established with persistence of a massive hyposphagma. No radiological image test was performed due to the COVID-19 epidemiological situation, as the patient was in good systemic situation and it was not a vital emergency. The evolution was favorable with conservative treatment, cold application, and moisturizing eye drops. After 10 days, the bruising was almost completely gone. During the ongoing novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the novel enveloped RNA virus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), face mask use has drastically increased among the healthcare professionals and the general population. The importance of this case lies in the new adverse effects caused by the misuse of mandatory face masks in the general population.