This was a case of a young lady presenting with 10 year history of a mass in the right eye. It was found to be an adenocarcinoma of the lacrimal gland from histopathological biopsy. She underwent wide excision, orbital exenteration and reconstruction with a free rectus abdominis flap. Unfortunately, she had a tumour recurrence which was not controlled by radiotherapy and a second excision. The behavior of the tumour was aggressive, resulting in widespread metastases. She passed away within a year of her presentation. Of note, the histopathology report from the second excision turned out to be sarcomatoid carcinoma. This is described in the literature as dedifferentiation, or high grade transformation (HGT). Occurrence of dedifferentiation in salivary gland tumours is well-established, but not as well-described in lacrimal gland tumours. In this case, there was a severely delayed presentation of a lacrimal gland adenocarcinoma in a young person, which underwent dedifferentiation into a sarcomatoid carcinoma. This phenomena is associated with aggressive tumour biology behavior and poor prognosis, despite surgery and radiotherapy.
A 55-year-old healthy lady with history of regular contact lens (CL) use presented with 10 days history of
progressive left eye blurring of vision, redness and pain. There was good CL hygiene practiced with no history of
swimming, trauma or contact with domestic pets. Left eye vision was hand movement and right eye was 1/60,
pinhole 6/18. On the left eye, there was a central, oval-shaped corneal infiltrate with an overlying large epithelial
defect and stromal oedema, with significant anterior chamber cells and fibrin. B-mode ultrasound showed no vitritis.
Intensive topical benzylpenicillin 10000iu/ml and topical gentamycin 1.4% hourly, homatropine 2% three times
daily, oral doxycycline and oral ascorbic acid were started. The gram stain results showed gram positive cocci
growth. Her ulcer improved with the treatment and preservative-free dexamethasone 0.1% once daily was
commenced to reduce inflammation and scarring. Interestingly, culture was reported as Pasteurella maltocida, a
gram negative bacilli sensitive to penicillin, and so treatment was continued until the ulcer completely healed. She
had central corneal scarring with best corrected vision of 6/24 in the left eye but was not keen on further surgery to
improve her vision. Although it has not been previously reported, Pasteurella multocida can cause CL related
corneal ulcer with severe anterior chamber inflammation. This diagnosis should be considered even if there is trivial
contact or no history of exposure to domestic animals.
Management of pain plays an important role during prostate biopsy. Various types of management of pain plays an important role during prostate biopsy. Various types of anaesthetic methods have been used. The present study aimed to compare the efficacy and complication rate between periprostatic lidocaine infiltration and transrectal lidocaine gel in transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy. All prostate biopsy patients were included except those with lidocaine, allergy, haemorrhagic diathesis, anticoagulation therapy, the inability to rate a visual analogue scale and inability to obtain consent. They were randomized into two groups. Group 1 received 20ml 2% transrectal lidocaine gel. Group 2 received 5ml 1% lidocaine infiltration for each periprostatic nerve block with 23-gauge spinal needle. After three minutes, prostate biopsy was performed with an 18 gauge 7-inch spring-loaded biopsy gun. Six biopsies were taken for each lobe. Pain during probe insertion, biopsy and immediately after the procedure was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale. Any complication immediately after procedure, one day or after one week, was recorded. Mean pain score was lower after periprostatic lidocaine infiltration compared to transrectal lidocaine gel (3.1 + 1.9 versus 4.9 + 2.4, p = 0.027). There was no statistically significant difference in the complication rate. Transrectal ultrasound prostate biopsy using periprostatic lidocaine infiltration provides better anaesthesia as compared to the transrectal lidocaine gel application with no significant difference in complication. Thus, the use of periprostatic lidocaine infiltration in TRUS guided prostate biopsy is recommended.
Hematospermia is a distressing disorder in sexually active men resulting in great concern to the patient. We report an unusual case of hematospermia with an atypical presentation, involving a 54-year-old man presented with acute urinary retention after sexual intercourse. Although the causes are widely known, arteriovenous malformation as the cause of this disorder has not much been reported in the literature. Transcatheter embolization of internal pudendal artery is a promising option for hematospermia caused by arterial fistula or bleeding.
Diabetic retinopathy is a disease involving microangiopathic changes in response to chronic hyperglycaemia and pan retinal photocoagulation (PRP) is currently the mainstay of treatment for proliferative retinopathy. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of pan retinal photocoagulation (PRP) on retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness in patients with diabetic retinopathy using optical coherence tomography (OCT). This was a prospective longitudinal study. Patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) or very severe non-(N)PDR requiring laser treatment were included in the study. PRP was performed by a single trained personnel. Peripapillary RNFL located 3.4 mm around the optic disc was evaluated using time-domain OCT. Examination was performed before treatment, and 2 and 4 months after laser treatment. In total, 39 subjects (39 eyes) were recruited into this study. Twenty-nine patients had PDR and 10 had very severe NPDR. Mean age was 54.97 ± 8.38 years. Male and female genders were almost equally distributed with 18 males and 21 females. Median thickness of average RNFL at baseline was 108.8 um (interquartile range [IQR] 35.3). At two months post-procedure, average RNFL thickness significantly increased to 117.4 (IQR 28.6; P = 0.006). Although, other quadrants revealed a similar trend of increasing thickness at two months but it was not significant. At 4 months post-laser treatment, RNFL thickness in all quadrants reduced to baseline levels with insignificant changes of thickness compared to prior to laser treatment. There was also no significant association between changes in RNFL thickness and HbA1c levels (P = 0.77). In conclusion, PRP causes transient thickening of the RNFL which recovers within 4 months post-laser treatment. At the same time, poor sugar control has no direct influence on the RNFL changes after PRP.
A 50-year-old Chinese man presented with sudden onset of painful right eye, diplopia, and redness associated with headache and deteriorating vision. Examination revealed obvious proptosis with elevated intraocular pressure. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed presence of retrobulbar haemmorhage. Emergency lateral canthotomy and cantholysis was performed followed by medical orbital decompression, resulting in improvements in visual acuity, and other ocular symptoms. The diagnosis of thrombosed orbital varices involving inferior ophthalmic vein was confirmed on radiological- angiographic study. To date, he is symptoms-free with good visual acuity. Immediate surgical decompression with lateral cantholysis for retrobulbar haemorrhage was effective in the treatment of retrobulbar haemorrhage.
The aim of this review was to analyze the gender disparities found as well as the life expectancies in Asia. An analysis of the data on gender disparities as well as life expectancies of the different Asian countries was done based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Health Observatory Data Repository as well as the regional government databases. Middle Eastern countries have the highest male to female population ratio. The results show that in terms of population pyramid, Asia is moving towards a more geriatric population. Qatar has the highest life expectancy for men and is the only country in Asia where men live longer than women (difference of 2 years). In general, women in Asia live longer than men. High income countries like Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore have higher life expectancies as compared to those on the lower income nations. The life expectancy of Asian men still lags women. Men’s health care needs to be addressed urgently. The disparity in income-status reflecting the lifespan of men is an impetus for us to narrow the gap of health in Asian countries.
Neck pain presents as a symptom of dull pain or discomfort mainly along the trapezius muscle. Dry needling is an invasive procedure which uses acupuncture needle directed at myofascial trigger points. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of dry needling in managing patients with neck pain. A pre-test-post-test interventional study design was used. Patient education package was provided to 32 respondents who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A 13-item Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) questionnaire was used to assess Rumination, Magnification and Helplessness. Subjective pain intensity was measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). These questionnaires were given before and after the dry needling intervention. The findings reported that respondents scored high in pre-test total PCS score (27.41±13.652). Post-test result revealed a significant improvement in total PCS score (23.06±13.938) (p = 0.000). Post-test VAS score (4.78±1.237) was also significantly better than pre-test (6.47±1.414) (p = 0.000). There was no significant difference in pre-test PCS in terms of marital status (p > 0.05) whereas there was significant difference between marital status and rumination in post-test (Z = -2.303, p = 0.021). There was significant difference between pre-test magnification in terms of respondents’ occupation (p = 0.008) and race (p = 0.035) but no significant difference in post-test. Respondents’ age group showed no significant differences between pre-test and post-test PCS and VAS (p > 0.05). In conclusion, patients who received dry needling showed improvement in pain intensity and catastrophizing towards neck pain.
A 23-year-old lady presented with both eye progressive painless blurring of vision for two weeks in 2011. Prior to that she had malar rash, hair loss, photosensitivity and bilateral leg swelling. Ocular examination showed that visual acuity on the right was 6/60 and on the left was 6/24. Both optic disc were swollen with extensive peripapillary cotton wool spot (CWS), flame shape haemorrhages, dilated and tortuous vessels with macular oedema. Systemic examination revealed blood pressure of 176/111 mmHg, malar rash and alopecia. Diagnosis of grade 4 hypertensive retinopathy secondary to SLE was made. The diagnosis was confirmed by positive ANA/ dsDNA, low C3/ C4 and renal biopsy showed lupus nephritis. She was treated with oral prednisolone, hydroxychloroquine and cyclosporin A. Throughout the monitoring for hydroxychloroquine toxicity, vision over both eyes were 6/9, but serial visual fields showed non-progressive left superior and inferior scotoma while right eye showed inferior scotoma. The intraocular pressure was normal with pink optic disc and cup disc ratio of 0.3. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed temporal and nasal retinal nerve fiber layer thinning bilaterally. However, macula OCT, fundus fluorescein angiography and autofluorescence were normal. The visual field defect was concluded secondary to CWS indicating microinfarction of the retinal nerve fiber secondary to previous hypertensive retinopathy. Non-progressive visual field defects may occur after the appearance of CWS in hypertensive retinopathy and it should not be overlooked when diagnosing glaucoma or hydroxychloroquine toxicity.
A 42-year-old Chinese man, known case of renal cell carcinoma with lung metastasis, was referred to Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre for left eye blurring of vision for one month duration, which was worse upon
waking up in the morning and cleared up after 1-2 hours. On examination, visual acuities were 6/6 in both eyes. No
relative afferent pupillary defect. Left fundus showed inferonasal retinal detachment without macular involvement.
No retina break, no retinitis and no choroidal lesion seen. Right eye examination was normal. Optical coherence
tomography (OCT) of left eye showed subretinal fluid temporal and inferior to optic disc. Fundus fluorescein
angiography (FFA) left eye showed hypofluoresence in early phase but hyperfluorescence with pin point leakage in
late phase over inferonasal quadrant. Indocyanine green (ICG) showed early hypofluoresence with late pin point
hyperfluoresence in the same quadrant. A clinical diagnosis of exudative retinal detachment due to choroidal
metastasis secondary to renal cell carcinoma was made. The patient was planned for cyber-knife radiotherapy of his
left eye but unfortunately we lost the follow up. High index of suspicion and relevant investigation are needed for
patients with visual complaints and history of renal cell carcinoma to diagnose choroidal metastasis.
Scleral buckle placement is a well-established technique for the treatment of primary rhegmatogenous retinal
detachment. Complications associated with scleral buckle are uncommon and its presentations can be vary. We
report a case of recurrent orbital cellulitis with anterior segment ischemia following a forgotten episode of previous
scleral buckling surgery, presenting with blurring of vision, redness and swelling of the lids. The presence of scleral
buckle was detected by detailed examination and confirmed by orbital imaging. Orbital infection and rubeosis iridis
were successfully treated with scleral buckle removal, intravenous antibiotics and intracameral ranibizumab.
However, the retinal detachment recurred and the visual acuity deteriorated to light perception. There was no further
intervention as the family declined in view of her old age. In cases of recurrent orbital infection, detailed clinical
examination is important to look for evidence of ocular prostheses as a source of infection. Orbital imaging is an
adjunct for making the diagnosis especially in cases where history is unreliable. Anterior segment ischemia due to
scleral buckle responds well to buckle removal with ranibizumab injection.
The pathophysiology of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) had been described to involve various strong oxidative reactions affecting the status and progress of the patients. Antioxidant therapy had been suggested in many studies involving SIRS management. The objective of this study was to compare the role of vitamin E Tocotrienol and vitamin E Tocopherol combined with vitamin C as antioxidant therapy in the management of critically ill patients diagnosed with SIRS, admitted to the intensive care unit and high dependency wards of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). It was a single blind randomized clinical trial with a total of 72 patients in which 44.4% Malays, 34.7% Chinese, 19.4% Indians and 1.4% others with 59.7% males and 40.3% females were recruited. Patients in TRI E group received Tocotrienol with Vitamin C while TOCO group received Tocopherol with Vitamin C and a control group did not receive any antioxidant. The clinical parameters (heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure) showed improvements with significant difference at the end of study (post-intervention) as compared to admission (pre-intervention).Whereas, the sepsis (temperature, PCT, CRP and WBC) and oxidative stress (8-OHdG/Creatinine) parameters showed improvements with significant difference at the end of study (post-intervention) as compared to admission (pre-intervention). The TRI E group showed obvious improvement in clinical, sepsis and oxidative stress parameters, as compared to TOCO and control groups. This study showed that Vitamin E Tocotrienol and Vitamin E Tocopherol in combination with Vitamin C demonstrated significant improvement in the clinical and laboratory parameters during the management of SIRS. Therefore, Vitamin E in combination with Vitamin C had therapeutic benefits in the treatment of critically ill patients with SIRS.
Frantz’ tumour of the pancreas is also known as solid pseudopapillary tumour (SPT) of the pancreas. It is a rare pancreatic neoplasm and represents about 3% of all the pancreatic cystic neoplasm.It occurs predominantly in young woman in 2nd to 3rd decade of life. These tumours exhibit indolent behaviour and very often reach considerable size before the first symptoms appear. Despite this presentation these tumours have low malignant potential and complete surgical resection render excellent prognosis. We reported a case of a 16-year-old girl who presented with upper abdominal mass with symptoms of gastric outlet obstruction for 7 months duration. Clinical examination revealed a huge epigastric mass measuring 10 x 12 cm in size. CT scan showed presence of mass arising from the body of the pancreas which was hypervascular, well-encapsulated with mixed cystic and solid components. She then underwent successful distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy and recovered uneventfully.
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae strain is a major cause of liver abscess and this bacteria has metastatic properties. This distinct liver abscess syndrome has been increasingly reported in Asia over the past two decades, but is emerging as a global disease. We described an 81-year-old lady, who presented to the emergency department with 1-week prior duration of fever and right eye swelling. She had been admitted for recurrent liver abscess prior to this. Hence, she was initially treated as sepsis secondary to recurrent liver abscess. Meanwhile, she was managed concurrently by ophthalmology team for endophtalmitis. Despite the initiation of treatment with antibiotics, she did not show any improvement and required right eye evisceration to treat the sepsis. Invasive liver abscess syndrome with metastatic endophthalmitis should be screened in patient with Klebsiella liver abscess. They should be monitored for ocular symptoms as early recognition can prohibit delays in treatment, which has debilitating consequences.
De novo stress urinary incontinence (SUI) may occur in up to 80% of clinically continent women following genitourinary prolapse surgery. This had resulted in an increase in the rate of concurrent continence surgery during prolapse repair from 38% in 2001 to 47% in 2009 in the United States. To date, there is no local data available to estimate the prevalence of occult SUI (OSUI) among Malaysian women awaiting surgery. Therefore, this study was conducted to elicit the prevalence of occult SUI and its associated risks factors in patients awaiting prolapse surgery. We retrospectively studied the records of 296 consecutive women with significant pelvic organ prolapse awaiting reconstructive repair. All patients attended the Urogynaecology Unit in Hospital Kuala Lumpur Malaysia between October 2007 and September 2011. They had undergone standardized interviews, clinical examinations and urodynamic studies. During the urodynamic testings, all prolapses were reduced using ring pessaries to elicit OSUI. Primary outcome was the prevalence of OSUI with prolapse reduction to predict possibility of developing de novo SUI following prolapse surgery. Secondary outcome was the assessment of potential risk factors for OSUI. Among the 296 women studied, 121 (40.9%) were found to have OSUI. The risk factors associated with OSUI included age, BMI, numbers of SVD, recurrent UTI, reduction of urinary flow symptoms and grade 2 to 4 central compartment prolapses. We concluded that preoperative urodynamic testing with reduction of prolapse is useful to identify women with OSUI. This is important for preoperative counselling as well as planning for one step approach of prophylactic concomitant anti-incontinence procedures during prolapse surgery in order to avoid postoperative de novo SUI.
Extra-gonadal germ cell tumours (EGGCT) are rare. Therefore further investigations of the testis is aimed at sourcing a possible primary origin of gonadal tumour. Over the years, various case series on EGGCT have been reported questioning its true nature as in a majority of them, a primary source is found in the testis, thus representing a metastatic gonadal tumour. The testis pathology could be either a true germ cell foci, an intra-tubular epithelial neoplasia or an area of fibrosis, indicating a ‘burnt out tumour’. We report a 39-year-old male who underwent laparotomy and excision of a retroperitoneal tumour. Histopathological examination revealed retroperitoneal lymph node of mixed germ cell tumour origin. Clinical and ultrasound examination of bilateral testis was normal. The patient refused orchidectomy or a testicular biopsy. He underwent four cycles of bleomycin, cisplatin, and etoposide with no evidence of tumour recurrence on follow up and remains disease free after 12 months of diagnosis. A literature review of EGGCT, its relation and factors relating with future testicular tumour is presented.
Strabismus is one of the most common ocular problems affecting the preschool population and the aim of strabismus surgery is to correct abnormal alignment of the eyes. A 5-year-old girl with strabismus underwent an uneventful surgery and was discharged on the same day with topical medications. Two days later, she returned with a painful right lower eyelid swelling, eye discharge and fever which started 1 day post-surgery. She was admitted for intravenous (IV) antibiotic. Symptoms initially improved after 24 hours of treatment, but later she had worsening eyelid swelling. An urgent CT scan of the orbit showed a right lower lid abscess with orbital cellulitis. Subsequently an examination under anaesthesia (EUA) and incision and drainage (I&D) of the lower lid abscess were performed. Culture from the pus grew Community Acquired Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA), sensitive to Vancomycin. At day 2 post I&D she subsequently developed another episode of localised right lower lid swelling. Another EUA was done but showed the lower lid and wound was free of pus. She was later found to have a toxic reaction to topical Gentamicin and hence this medication was stopped. She responded well to treatment and was discharged after completing her IV antibiotics. At 14 months outpatient follow up, she was well and orthophoric in primary gaze. While treating a disease, we should be opened to all possibilities and not to treat with multiple antibiotics once susceptibility is known
Post-intubation airway related adverse effects such as coughing on the endotracheal tube (ETT), restlessness, hoarseness and sore throat are common and undesirable outcomes of anaesthesia using endotracheal intubation. This prospective randomized single blind study was carried out to compare the effectiveness of intra-cuff dexamethasone and alkalinized lignocaine in reducing the incidence of post-intubation airway related adverse effects. Eighty four patients aged 18 – 60 years, of ASA status I or II, were randomly allocated into three groups: air, dexamethasone and alkalinized lignocaine. Their ETT cuffs were inflated according to the group they were allocated to. The incidence of coughing on the ETT, restlessness, hoarseness and sore throat was assessed, postoperatively. The results showed a significant difference in the incidence of cough, restlessness, hoarseness and sore throat in the dexamethasone group compared to the air group. All the patients had minimal or no sore throat at all documented times. Both intra-cuff dexamethasone and alkalinized lignocaine significantly reduced the incidence of hoarseness. However, alkalinized lignocaine additionally lowered the incidence of restlessness, significantly.
The decision for median sternotomy for retrosternal goiter is complex and proper consensus are lacking. Generally, it is based on clinical, radiological and intraoperative assessment. Among the few known features include primary mediastinal goiter, posterior mediastinal goiter and recurrent retrosternal goiter. We present a patient with posterior mediastinal, secondary goiter that extended until the tracheal bifurcation. The goiter was removed successfully via a low cervical incision and this was achieved by dissecting along the anatomical plane close to the thyroid capsule using blunt dissection with fingers. It is possible for these kinds of high risk retrosternal goitres to be safely removed without the need for thoracotomy when the surgery was performed along the proper plane.
Basal cell carcinoma is the commonest skin malignancy diagnosed in Malaysia. Surgery is the recommended treatment of choice with the lowest failure rate provided a clear margin is obtained. However, the defect may be too large to be repaired primarily. Formal reconstruction using grafts and flaps should be done to achieve the optimal aim of maintaining the integrity, function and cosmetic patient outcome. Three reconstructive methods are described in this series to restore the facial defect following the wide local excision. The procedures described were peri-alar crescentic advancement flap, nasolabial rotational flap and full thickness skin graft using supraclavicular skin. This series highlights the usage of the procedures based on solid foundation and principles, without compromising the desired outcomes for the patient.