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Biomedical subjects

J J Dutton

Publications and source records attributed to J J Dutton.

62 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Optic nerve sheath meningiomas.

Meningiomas are benign neoplastic lesions arising from meningothelial cells of the meninges. Primary orbital meningiomas, originating in the optic nerve sheath, represent 1-2% of all meningiomas, and are the second most common optic nerve tumor after gliomas. They primarily affect middle-aged adults. Patients typically present with visual loss, frequently associated with optic atrophy and often with optociliary shunt vessels. The lesion is usually unilateral, but is bilateral in about 5% of cases. Meningiomas show characteristic indolent growth over years, progressing inexorably to blindness in the affected eye. Management should be conservative in most cases. In very rare situations, surgery has improved visual prognosis. In most patients, however, surgery offers no benefit, and should be reserved for those with blindness or severe proptosis, or when extension toward the optic canal is documented. Although preliminary results of radiotherapy are encouraging, very few patients have been treated using this modality, and the long-term advantage for vision remains unproven. Even when untreated, the prognosis for life is excellent, with an overall tumor-related mortality of 0%.

Cranial Nerve Neoplasms↗

Management of periocular basal cell carcinoma: Mohs' micrographic surgery versus radiotherapy.

In treating periocular basal cell carcinoma the goal is to achieve the most complete eradication of affected tissue while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible. In the first of these "Viewpoints" articles, Drs. Leshin and Yeatts discuss the success of Mohs' microsurgical technique (MMS) in both regards. Moreover, they note that MMS offers the additional advantage of placing all surgical and histological phases of tumor excision in the hands of one specialist, thus circumventing problems that may arise with procedures requiring the separate involvement of several specialists. In the second article, Drs. Anscher and Montana point out that modern radiotherapy techniques may offer adequate tumor control with less damage to surrounding tissues than is caused by surgical excision and reconstruction. With small lesions, radiotherapy has a success rate similar to that of surgery. With large lesions, the success rate is lower; however, if surgical excision would cause extensive disfigurement or functional damage, an initial trial of radiotherapy may be warranted, then followed by surgery, if necessary. In an editorial, Dr. Dutton summarizes the indications for and advantages and disadvantages of both techniques.

Basal Cell Carcinoma↗

Gliomas of the anterior visual pathway.

Gliomas of the anterior visual pathway are rare orbital lesions accounting for 65% of all intrinsic optic nerve tumors. These lesions occur principally among children in the first decade of life. They appear to be true neoplasms that characteristically show early growth, followed by stability in many patients. Visual prognosis is fair, and the outlook for life depends upon tumor location. When initially confined to the optic nerve alone, overall mortality is about 5%. Once the hypothalamus is involved, mortality rises sharply to over 50%. With involvement of the chiasm or hypothalamus, no form of therapy significantly alters the final outcome. Because of their indolent course, gliomas may be followed conservatively when confined to the optic nerve. In these cases, surgery is indicated only when blindness and pain or severe proptosis intervene. However, all such patients should be followed radiologically for evidence of posterior extension. When the chiasm is threatened, surgical excision via a craniotomy approach is warranted to prevent subsequent hypothalamic or third ventricle involvement. Malignant optic glioma is a distinct disease primarily affecting middle-aged adults. The chiasm is always involved, and although one eye may be spared initially, rapid progression to bilateral blindness is usual. The disease is uniformly fatal.

Adult↗

Anesthesia for intraocular surgery.

Surgeons must decide on the type of anesthesia to use when performing cataract surgery. These "viewpoints" articles provide a well-balanced discussion offering the pros and cons of both topical anesthesia and retrobulbar/peribulbar injection. Dr. Dutton gives an overview of both techniques, focusing on relevant orbital anatomy. Drs. Hassan, Edelhauser and Kim, review the various types of topical anesthesia currently in use, and Drs. Spriggs and Broocker examine retrobulbar and peribulbar injections. Both techniques are associated with advantages and risks, so each surgeon must decide which technique is best suited for his or her own practice.

Anesthesia, Local↗

Double choroidal malignant melanoma in an eye with apparent clinical regression.

Multicentric melanomas in the same eye are rare, with few cases substantiated by histology and serial sectioning. We report a patient with two documented choroidal malignant melanomas in one eye. The initial tumor spontaneously decreased in size for over 2 years before a second tumor appeared in a noncontiguous location in the same eye. After enucleation, serial sections showed that the two lesions were independent choroidal melanomas. We review the literature regarding multiple, independent intraocular choroidal malignant melanomas.

Adult↗

Botulinum-A toxin in the treatment of craniocervical muscle spasms: short- and long-term, local and systemic effects.

Botulinum toxin has become the initial treatment of choice for the management of essential blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm and other craniocervical dystonias. Numerous studies have confirmed a 90% to 95% response rate. Although a number of common side effects have been reported, the occurrence and incidence of rare local complications remains poorly understood. More importantly, the acute and chronic distant effects of botulinum toxin have not been clearly elucidated. A better understanding of such effects is essential if clinicians are to appropriately advise patients on the use of this therapeutic modality. This article is based on the Duke University experience in the management of over 500 patients with craniocervical spasm disorders, combined with a review of the published literature. These disorders include essential blepharospasm, oromandibular dystonia, hemifacial spasm, and torticollis. The incidence of side effects following more than 6000 treatments with botulinum toxin is presented. Pertinent research relating to the causes of these complications is also reviewed. The most common complications of treatment with botulinum toxin are related to acute local effects resulting from chemodenervation. The most important clinical effect in this group is weakening of the levator muscle resulting in ptosis, and the corneal consequences of lagophthalmos. The latter includes exposure keratitis, dry eyes, blurred vision, and hypersecretion epiphora. Less common local effects include facial numbness, diplopia, and ectropion. Some distant effects are being observed with increasing frequency. These include pruritus, dysphagia, nausea, and a flu-like syndrome. Most significant, however, are the rare reports of generalized weakness and the documentation of EMG abnormalities distant to the site of toxin injection. This has been seen with injections for both blepharospasm and torticollis. Until further studies on the long-term distant complications of botulinum toxin are available, it is recommended that patients receive as few life-time doses of toxin as possible, consistent with adequate management of their spasms. The practice of reinjecting patients routinely every three months, or at the first return of mild spasms should be discouraged.

Blepharospasm↗

Localized conjunctival argyrosis: a late sequela of strabismus surgery.

We describe a case of focal argyrosis of the conjunctiva clinically simulating a melanoma. An 82-year-old woman was referred for an asymptomatic pigmented conjunctival lesion. Her only significant past ocular history was strabismus surgery 76 years earlier. Biopsy of the conjunctiva and lateral rectus muscle revealed the discoloration was pigment granules. Energy-dispersive x-ray microanalysis revealed the pigmentation to be silver deposits. The patient had strabismus surgery probably using a silver clip. Argyrosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of focal pigmented conjunctival lesions.

Aged↗