Strangulation injuries. (73/505)

Strangulation accounts for 10% of all violent deaths in the United States. Many people who are strangled survive. These survivors may have minimal visible external findings. Because of the slowly compressive nature of the forces involved in strangulation, clinicians should be aware of the potential for significant complications including laryngeal fractures, upper airway edema, and vocal cord immobility. Survivors are most often assaulted during an incident of intimate partner violence or sexual assault, and need to be specifically asked if they were strangled. Many survivors of strangulation will not volunteer this information. Accurate documentation in the medical chart is essential to substantiate a survivor's account of the incident. Medical providers are a significant community resource with the responsibility to provide expert information to patients and other systems working with survivors of strangulation. This case study reviews a strangulation victim who exhibited some classic findings.  (+info)

Management of iatrogenic intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide. (74/505)

Intravitreal corticossteroids have been used for therapeutic purposes in optimum doses and adverse reports have not been described. To best of our knowledge, this entity has never been reported as a problem. We report a case of successful management of iatrogenic intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide for intermediate uveitis. This case study highlights the strategy of appropriate and timely surgical management.  (+info)

Post traumatic subconjunctival dislocation of lens in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. (75/505)

Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes are a rare group of inherited connective tissue disorders of defective collagen synthesis. They predominantly involve the skin, joints and vessels. Ocular involvement in the form of blue sclera, microcornea and susceptibility to trauma is a common feature of EDS type VI. A minor ocular trauma in these patients can cause globe rupture. We herein report simple and successful management of a case of traumatic subconjunctival dislocation of lens in a patient of EDS type VI.  (+info)

Incidence of elderly eye injuries in automobile crashes: the effects of lens stiffness as a function of age. (76/505)

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the incidence of eye injuries with respect to occupant age in frontal automobile crashes as well as to investigate possible injury mechanisms of the elderly eye and the effects of lens stiffness. The National Automotive Sampling System was searched from years 1993-2000 for three separate occupant age groups of 16-35 years old, 36-65 years old, and 66 years old and greater in order to compare the total number of weighted occupants who sustained an eye injury to the number of occupants who sustained an eye injury per age group. Three separate impact scenarios simulating a foam particle (30 m/s), a steering wheel (15 m/s), and an air bag (67 m/s), were applied to a finite element eye model in order to elucidate the effects of aging on the eye when subjected to blunt trauma. The lens stiffness of the model was varied according to human lens stiffness values determined for each age group. Occupants aged 66 years old and greater were two to three times more likely to incur an eye injury than younger occupants. The computational eye model demonstrated that increased risk was related to the increasing stiffness of the lens, producing up to a 120% larger stress in the ciliary body.  (+info)

Solar retinitis. (77/505)

Retinal burns can be produced by direct gazing at the sun. This lesion is caused by the thermal effects of the visible and near infrared rays focused on the pigment structure behind the retina. It is rarely seen, as the normal eye will tolerate only fleeting glances at the sun, but is fairly common during a solar eclipse. A case of solar retinitis is presented in which treatment with corticosteroids lessened the retinal edema but the patient suffered a bilateral central scotoma and vision reduced to the 20/40 level. In viewing a solar eclipse a No. 4 density filter is recommended; as a rough test this filter will abolish the readability of print on a 60-watt incandescent frosted electric light bulb.  (+info)

BLOWOUT FRACTURES OF THE FLOOR OF THE ORBIT. (78/505)

Blowout fractures of the orbit, a frequent complication of midfacial trauma, result from an increased intraorbital pressure which "blows out" the weakest area-the floor. Intraorbital fat and muscles herniated into the maxillary sinus, muscles incarcerated in the fracture, and the displaced orbital contents produce diplopia. After incarceration, elevation of the affected eye is impossible.Diagnosis is frequently difficult because initial intraorbital hemorrhage may limit mobility. Tomograms in the Waters' projection may show the fracture but frequently reveal only a cloudy antrum. The muscle traction test described herein is most helpful.The surgical correction aims at bridging the defect with Teflon or stainless-steel mesh or endogenous bone graft placed beneath the periosteum. Entry is gained through the lower lid. If repaired early, there is no functional loss and the repair is cosmetically excellent.  (+info)

ACCIDENTS IN CHILDHOOD: A REPORT ON 17,141 ACCIDENTS. (79/505)

The causes of injury to 17,141 children brought to the emergency department of a large pediatric hospital in one year were studied. The leading causes of injury were: falls, 5682; cuts or piercings, 1902; poisonings, 1597; and transportation accidents, 1368. Included in these are 587 falls on or down stairs, 401 cuts due to glass, 630 poisonings from household or workshop substances, 510 poisonings from salicylate tablets, and 449 accidents involving bicycles or tricycles. Other findings included 333 injuries to fingers or hands in doors, usually car doors; 122 instances of pulled arms; 384 ingestions and 53 inhalations of foreign bodies; 60 alleged sexual assaults, 58 chemical burns, 127 wringer injuries, and four attempted suicides. A rewarding opportunity in accident prevention exists for hospitals that undertake to compile and distribute pertinent source data.  (+info)

Emergency surgery in orbital trauma: a neurosurgical view. (80/505)

This study is an analysis of five cases of orbital trauma causing proptosis, paralysis of extraocular muscles with or without associated visual failure. All the cases were treated by a Neurosurgical team. Either a frontal craniotomy or a lateral orbitotomy was performed. Plain X-rays of the skull and Computerised Tomography (C.T. Scanning) were the main investigations. Results were encouraging both functionally and cosmetically. Early diagnosis and an aggressive approach to orbital decompression can achieve good results.  (+info)