1.Mild Paediatric Head Injury: The Diagnostic Value of Physical Examinations Compared with Computed Tomographic Scans
Farizal Farizal ; Mohd Safari Mohd Haspani
Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences 2012;19(3):64-68
The study objective was to determine the diagnostic value of physical examinations for positive computer tomography (CT) scans in children with mild head injuries. Retrospective data of patients evaluated for mild head injuries with loss of consciousness (LOC) or amnesia were reviewed. Estimations of prevalence, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were calculated. Agreement between the physical examinations and CT brain scans was calculated using the Kappa test. 225 patients were included in the study. Of this group, 19.56% of patients had positive CT scans, and 7.56% had normal physical examinations. 15 underwent neurosurgical intervention. For positive CT scans, sensitivity and specificity were 61.36% and 60.22%, respectively. Agreement between physical examinations and CT scans was Kappa = 0.147 (P < 0.05), 95% CI (0.035, 0.259). The present study demonstrated that physical examinations were significantly associated with positive CT scans (P = 0.01). However, the calculated Kappa value showed only slight agreement between these 2 variables, and the low sensitivity and specificity of the physical examinations suggest that intracranial pathology in children with mild head injuries and LOC or amnesia cannot be excluded based on physical examinations alone.
2.Inferior Canaliculi Punctal Granuloma of the Lacrimal System: A Case Report
Nur Aqilah S ; Farizal A ; Othmaliza O
Journal of Surgical Academia 2016;6(1):39-42
Pyogenic granuloma of the eyes usually occurs after ocular surgery or inflammation related to the eyes, itself. This
lesion is commonly related to procedures associated with chalazia, strabismus, or even enucleation. However, the
incidence of pyogenic granuloma that arises directly from the lower canaliculi of the nasolacrimal system is rare and
not being extensively reported. We report a case of an elderly lady who presented with pyogenic granuloma post
EDCR with silicone stenting for left nasolacrimal duct obstruction. She presented with persistent left eye epiphora
following procedure. The unusual site for pyogenic granuloma and it occurrence after EDCR raise the possibility that
the condition is related to previous procedure and the material being used.
Granuloma, Pyogenic
3.What Lurks Beneath: Lacrimal Gland Adenocarcinoma Dedifferentiation to Sarcomatoid Carcinoma
Farrah-Hani Imran ; Muthukumaran Guhan ; Enda Kelly ; Jegan Thanabalan ; Farizal Fadzil ; Faridah Hanum
Journal of Surgical Academia 2015;5(2):70-74
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.
Adenocarcinoma
;
Lacrimal Apparatus
4.Hemangioblastoma in the Setting of Von Hippel Lindau Disease: A Case Report
Raajini Devi K ; Aida Zairani MI ; Hazlita MI ; Jemaima CH ; Farizal F ; Safinaz MK
Journal of Surgical Academia 2016;6(1):54-58
A 21-year-old Chinese gentleman with no known medical illness, presented with a history of right painless blurring
of vision with central scotoma of two weeks duration. He also had a history of multiple episodes of seizures prior to
presentation. Visual acuity was 1/60 with unremarkable anterior segment findings and no relative afferent pupillary
defect. Fundus examination of the right eye revealed dilated and tortuous retinal veins with multiple retinal capillary
hemangiomas and sub retinal hard exudates at the macula with edema. A diagnosis of Von Hippel Lindau disease
was made when a posterior fossa mass suggestive of hemangioblastoma with obstructive hydrocephalus was seen on
computed tomography of the brain. Craniotomy with nodule excision was performed. The retinal capillary
hemangiomas were treated with the combination of laser photocoagulation and intravitreal Ranibizumab injections.
Visual acuity subsequently improved to 6/36.
Hemangioblastoma
;
von Hippel-Lindau Disease
5.A clinical audit of interventional pain procedures performed as part of the newly initiated pain service in a local neurosurgical centre
Hau Chun Khoo ; Bee Hong Soon ; Ainul Syahrilfazli Jaafar ; Azizi Abu Bakar ; Farizal Fadzil ; Kamalanathan Palaniandy ; Sanmugarajah Paramasvaran ; Yin Choy Choy ; Charng Jeng Toh
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2016;71(5):288-291
Interventional Pain Procedures (IPPs) is a relatively new
treatment modality for chronic pain in Malaysia. The
Interventional Pain Service (IPS) newly set up in our
institution is led by a pain neurosurgeon and provides a
whole package of multimodal pain management including
different range of IPPs. This clinical audit is to examine the
quality of IPPs performed within the IPS in our institution
since its initiation. A total of 87 IPPs were performed on 56
chronic pain patients over 3-year duration. As high as 81.8%
of the procedures were effective and 81.5% of patients were
satisfied. Only one minor transient complication occurred
after an intradiscal procedure but none resulted in death or
permanent disability. Thus, safe and effective IPPs can be
provided as part of IPS in a local neurosurgical pain centre
to bring more comprehensive and less fragmented care for
chronic pain patients.