Cerebrospinal fluid leak from lateral orbit during exenteration for mucormycosis.

We describe an elderly diabetic patient presenting with sudden onset right-sided proptosis and vision loss secondary to rhino-orbital mucormycosis and central retinal vascular occlusion. He underwent orbital exenteration that was complicated by intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak from lateral orbital wall. The leak was surgically repaired and the patient recovered well. We postulate the cause of the CSF leak to be twofold: necrotic periorbital tissue due to mucormycosis rendering the thin bones susceptible to damage and second, intraoperative manipulation and dissection at the orbital apex with monopolar cautery and instruments. We describe measures taken to successfully repair the CSF leak and the possible precautions that can be taken to avoid it.

Delayed implant infection with Cutibacterium acnes (Propionibacterium acnes) 30 years after silicone sheet orbital floor implant.

Purpose: To report a case of delayed implant infection with Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes, previously known as Propionibacterium acnes) 30 years after silicone sheet orbital floor implant.Methods: Case report with orbital imaging.Results: A 61-year-old male with a history of traumatic orbital floor fracture right eye (OD) repaired using a silicone sheet orbital floor implant 30 years prior, presented with 6 months of painless blepharoptosis and diplopia OD. On examination, there was 3 mm right upper eyelid blepharoptosis and hyperglobus. There was no globe proptosis, dysmotility, or compression and no cutaneous erythema, hyperthermia, discharge, or tenderness to palpation. Orbital magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a cystic mass in the inferior orbit in the region of the floor implant, measuring 25 mm in diameter and 10 mm in thickness. By MRI, T1-weighted images revealed a hypointense signal within the mass and T2-weighted images showed hyperintense signal with a flat hypointensity centrally representing the floor implant. Microbiologic cultures grew C. acnes.Conclusions: C. acnes can manifest several decades after placement of an orbital prosthetic implant, leading to delayed infection.

[Ophthalmoplegia without severe painful eyelid swelling in acute dacryoadenitis: a case report].

Here, we present a case of right eyelid drooping in a 79-year-old man. Neurological examination revealed ptosis of the right eye without severe painful eyelid swelling and redness. An ocular motility examination of the right eye revealed upward limitation and downward overshoot. The results of routine blood examinations were within normal limits, and no autoantibodies were detected. Orbital magnetic resonance images revealed mild right eyelid swelling and lacrimal gland enlargement, indicating orbital inflammation. The ocular discharge was positive for Staphylococcus hominis by culture and the patient was diagnosed as having acute dacryoadenitis. Treatment with topical and systemic administration of antibiotics rapidly improved symptoms. Ocular infection is not usually suspected in the absence of local severe painful swelling and redness, and painless acute dacryoadenitis presenting as ophthalmoplegia and ptosis may be misdiagnosed. Orbital inflammation may rapidly progress to orbital cellulitis with treatment delay, which may also lead to aggravation of ophthalmic prognosis. Therefore, neurologists should be aware of the possibility of acute dacryoadenitis occurring without the local severe inflammatory findings mimicking neurological diseases, and acute dacryoadenitis should be considered in patients with ophthalmoplegia even in the absence of severe painful eyelid swelling and redness.

An atypical case of tularemia presented with pseudoptosis.

We report an unusual case of tularemia involving pseudoptosis associated with deterioration of the lymphatic drainage system extending from the upper eyelid to the preauricular lymph nodes. A 16-week pregnant patient was admitted with an absess on the neck, preauricular lymphadenopathy, and pseudoptosis on the left side. The micro-agglutination test was positive for Francisella tularensis antibody at a titer of 1/200. The absess was surgically drained and oral cefuroxime was given for 6 weeks. Two weeks after drainage, the pseudoptosis improved due to the recovery of lymphatic drainage system of the eyelid and remission of the absess on the neck. Our case report contributes to the medical literature on tularemia during pregnancy and informs healthcare professionals on the management of the infection in such cases.

[Infant botulism in France, 1991-2009]. / Le botulisme infantile en France, 1991-2009.

Infant botulism is caused by the ingestion of spores of Clostridium botulinum and affects newborns and infants under 12 months of age. Ingested spores multiply and produce botulinum toxin in the digestive tract, which then induces clinical symptoms. A single French case was described in the literature prior to 1991. We describe the cases of infant botulism identified in France between 1991 and 2009. All clinical suspicions of botulism must be declared in France. Biological confirmation of the disease is provided by the National reference laboratory for anaerobic bacteria and botulism at the Pasteur Institute. During this period, 7 cases of infant botulism were identified, 1 per year from 2004 to 2008 and 2 in 2009. The median age of affected infants was 119 days and all were female. All infants presented with constipation and oculomotor symptoms. All were hospitalized and required mechanical ventilation. The infants recovered from their botulism. The diagnosis of infant botulism was biologically confirmed for all patients. One 4-month-old infant was treated with a single dose of the human-derived botulism antitoxin specific for infant botulism types A and B (BabyBIG®). The infants all had different feeding habits ranging from exclusive breast feeding to a mix of formula feeding and solid food consumption. The consumption of honey, the only documented risk food for this disease, was reported for 3 of the infants. The honey had been placed on the pacifier of 2 infants and directly in the mouth of the 3rd by the mother. Infant botulism, a form of botulism that was previously rarely recognized in France, has been reported more frequently during the last 6 years. This disease remains rare but nonetheless severe. In light of recent epidemiological data, efforts to raise awareness among parents of infants and health professionals on the danger of infant botulism and particularly, its association with honey consumption seems necessary.

Lemierre syndrome with blepharoptosis.

A 51-year-old woman was hospitalized with a high fever, occipital pain, blepharoptosis, and trismus. Enhanced CT showed thrombophlebitis of her left cavernous sinus, maxillary vein, and multiple pulmonary nodular lesions. (18)F-FDG PET/CT showed significant uptakes in the same lesions. Streptococcus constellatus was detected in her blood. Therefore, she was diagnosed as a Lemierre syndrome variant. After administration of antibiotics, all symptoms, inflammatory reactions, and thrombi disappeared. Since Lemierre syndrome has life-threatening potential, early diagnosis and initiation of appropriate therapy are important. In this case, (18)F-FDG PET/CT was useful to detect the focus and extent of infection.

A case of oculomotor nerve palsy and choroidal tuberculous granuloma associated with tuberculous meningoencephalitis.

We report a rare case of oculomotor nerve palsy and choroidal tuberculous granuloma associated with tuberculous meningoencephalitis. A 15-year-old male visited our hospital for an acute drop of the left eyelid and diplopia. He has been on anti-tuberculous drugs (isoniazid, rifampin) for 1 year for his tuberculous encephalitis. A neurological examination revealed a conscious clear patient with isolated left oculomotor nerve palsy, which manifested as ptosis, and a fundus examination revealed choroidal tuberculoma. Other anti-tuberculous drugs (pyrazinamide, ethambutol) and a steroid (dexamethasone) were added. After 3 months on this medication, ptosis of the left upper eyelid improved and the choroidal tuberculoma decreasedin size, but a right homonymous visual field defect remained. When a patient with tuberculous meningitis presents with abrupt onset oculomotor nerve palsy, rapid re-diagnosis should be undertaken and proper treatment initiated, because the prognosis is critically dependent on the timing of adequate treatment.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae: nervous system complications in childhood and review of the literature.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an important pathogen which causes nervous system disorders during or after the course of a respiratory tract infection. The exact pathogenic mechanism which causes neurological disorders still remains unknown. Although meningoencephalitis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis are common complications, there are few cases of acute transverse myelitis and isolated abducens nerve palsy associated with M. pneumoniae infection in childhood. The association between ocular myasthenia gravis and M. pneumoniae infection has not been described before. Here, we describe five patients with different nervous system complications associated with M. pneumoniae infection and discuss the pathological features of central nervous system involvement.

[Botulism in Casablanca. (11 cases)]. / Le botulisme à Casablanca. (A propos de 11 cas).

Botulism is a rare but severe disease. Whereas until 1980, only one case of botulism had been reported in our department, in 1999, a real botulism epidemic took place in Morocco. To our knowledge, it's the first outbreak of that kind in Morocco. We report here an epidemiologic and descriptive study of 11 patients suffering from botulism, admitted at the Infectious Diseases department and in the Medical Intensive Care Unit of Ibn Rochd University Hospital, from August, the 10th to October, the 1st, 1999. Clinical diagnosis of botulism was made, at the admission, on ocular signs (diplopia, ptosis), swallowing troubles and/or muscle weakness. There was no fever, no trouble of conscience and normal reflexes, at the early stage of the disease. The average age of patients was of 23.9 years +/- 12.07. Three patients were first admitted in the Medical Intensive Care Unit. The period before symptom appearance varied between 7 and 96 hours. Dysphagia sore throat, dry mouth and dysphonia were always found in all patients, with normal conscience. The fever was noted in 3 cases, polypnea in 3 cases leading to respiratory assistance in 2 cases. Neurologic findings were dominated by ptosis and hypotonia. The search of botulism toxin B in blood was positive in 6 cases. The electromyography showed clear signs of botulism. The evolution was favourable in 10 cases. Respiratory complications were found in 2 cases and infectious complications in 4 cases. One patient died. The period of hospitalization varied between 10 to 24 days with an average stay of 15.8 days. Eating "mortadella" has been noticed in 7 patients) and investigations permitted to identify the factory of "mortadella" as well as the toxin's type B responsible for these poisoning. It appears clearly that it is important to reinforce hygiene controls. Physicians and specialists in public health must be aware of the severity of this illness, knowing that the recovery is shortened when the treatment is administered on an early stage of the disease.

Chronic rhinocerebral mucormycosis.

Rhinocerebral mucormycosis is a well-described fulminant fungal infection that typically presents acutely in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis or immunosuppression. Chronic presentations of rhinocerebral mucormycosis have also been described. In the chronic infection, the disease course is indolent and slowly progressive, often occurring over weeks to months. The authors report 2 cases of chronic rhinocerebral mucormycosis (CRM) treated at their institution and review 16 other cases reported in the English-language literature. In these cases, the median time from symptom onset to diagnosis was 7 months. The most common presenting features of CRM are ophthalmologic and include ptosis, proptosis, visual loss, and ophthalmoplegia. CRM occurs predominantly in patients with diabetes and ketoacidosis. The incidence of internal carotid artery and cavernous sinus thrombosis is higher in CRM patients than in those with the acute disease, although the overall survival rate for CRM patients is 83%. CRM is clinically distinct from chronic Entomophthorales infection.

Invasive rhinosino-orbital aspergillosis with precipitous visual loss.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinicopathological and radiologic features in five cases of primary and secondary orbital aspergillosis. DESIGN: Case series. SETTING: Ophthalmology department of a university hospital. PATIENTS: Five patients over 65 years of age with invasive rhinosino-orbital aspergillosis. RESULTS: Presenting features were abrupt onset of proptosis, ophthalmoplegia and blepharoptosis with precipitous visual loss. All had debilitating periorbital pain or headache, but none had orbital inflammatory signs or appeared "toxic." Predisposing causes included alcoholism, low-dose prednisone therapy and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. One patient, suspected of having mucormycosis based on tissue biopsy and results of potassium hydroxide preparations, harboured Aspergillus fumigatus, which grew on culture. Secondary bacterial infections developed in three patients. Three patients died from their disease despite aggressive surgical treatment, including exenteration and sinus extirpation. The one patient with primary orbital aspergillosis survived after exenteration. CONCLUSIONS: Sinonasal aspergillosis with orbital extension and primary orbital aspergillosis have a precipitous clinical course that mimics that of mucormycosis and may be fatal despite early exenteration. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the sinuses, orbit and head provide complementary diagnostic signs. While results of potassium hydroxide preparations and tissue biopsy guide treatment of fungal infection, definitive diagnosis requires fungal culture. Relatively good vision may be associated with massive orbital and secondary intracranial extension.