A pediatric patient with well documented acquired toxoplasmic optic neuritis is presented. Use of immunoglobulin M immunofluorescent antibody studies allow easier identification of recently acquired toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmic optic neuritis and retinitis should be considered along with toxoplasmic meningitis or encephalitis as complications of acquired toxoplasmosis. Therapy is available which may decrease the duration of visual symptomatology and reduce residual visual impairment.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Low-dose droperidol versus standard-dose droperidol for prevention of postoperative vomiting after pediatric strabismus surgery.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a low dose of droperidol is as effective as a high dose in preventing vomiting after pediatric strabismus surgery. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind study. SETTING: Operating room and recovery room at a university medical center. PATIENTS: One hundred children undergoing strabismus procedures. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were divided randomly into three groups and received either droperidol 75 microgram/kg, droperidol 20 microgram/kg, or saline. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Vomiting was assessed in all groups, as was time to discharge and ability to perform a satisfactory postoperative eye examination. Children who received droperidol vomited less frequently than those who did not (p = 0.0521). There was no difference in the frequency of vomiting between the two groups that received droperidol. CONCLUSION: Droperidol 20 microgram/kg is as effective as droperidol 75 microgram/kg in preventing vomiting after pediatric strabismus surgery. Because higher doses of droperidol may sedate some patients, the lowest effective dose should be used. In this study, however, there was no statistically significant difference with regard to length of recovery room stay.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of Doppler ultrasonography with arteriography of the carotid artery bifurcation.

Continuous-wave (CW) Doppler ultrasound imaging for prediction of arteriogrphic abnormality at the carotid bifurcation was carried out in 195 arteries of 105 patients. The Doppler method had no predictive value when compared to angiographic findings in arteries classified as 0-50% stenosis by Doppler. In 50-75% stenosis by arteriography Doppler accuracy was 52%. With stenosis of 76-99% Doppler imaging correlated with 71% reliability. When an arteriogram was compared with Doppler imaging the latter gave a "false negative" reading in 56% and "false positive" readings in 19%. We conclude that Doppler ultrasound evaluation provides important information regarding the state of the carotid bifurcation, which supplements the bedside evaluation, but it does not substitute for arteriography.

Adult↗