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Purpose: To present data from patients with breast cancer liver metastases who underwent radioembolization with yttrium (90Y) microspheres., Materials and Methods: Using standard 90Y lobar treatment protocol, 27 female patients with progressing liver metastases on standard of care polychemotherapy were treated under an open-label phase 2 protocol. After treatment, we assessed (a) tumor response using computed tomography and/or positron emission tomography, (b) biochemical toxicity, and (c) survival., Results: The mean age of the patients was 52. Seventeen (63%) patients received 20 left lobe treatments (median radiation dose, 123 Gy; mean, 119 Gy), and 20 (74%) patients received 22 right lobe treatments (median radiation dose, 121 Gy; mean, 109 Gy) to the treatment site. No significant dose-difference was noted between the two lobes (P=.69). Tumor response on 90-day follow-up computed tomography showed (a) complete and partial response in nine (39.1%) patients, (b) stable disease in 12 (52.1%) patients, and (c) progressive disease in 2 (8.8%) patients. Positive tumor response on positron emission tomography was noted in 17 (63%) patients. Three of 27 (11%) patients (Eastern Cooperation Oncology Group 1, 2, or 3) showed bilirubin toxicity of grade 3, all of which were attributed to disease progression. Median survival for Eastern Cooperation Oncology Group 0 versus 1, 2, or 3 patients was 6.8 months and 2.6 months, respectively (P=.24) and for patients with tumor burden<25% versus >25% was 9.4 and 2.0 months, respectively (P=.46)., Conclusions: Radioembolization with 90Y brachytherapy device may be a viable therapeutic option for the treatment of breast cancer liver metastases in patients who have progressed or failed on standard of care polychemotherapy.

Purpose: Cavernous sinus surgery is considered neurosurgically feasible. A systematic review of patients undergoing cavernous sinus procedures for meningioma was undertaken to determine whether cavernous sinus surgery could be performed with an acceptable level of iatrogenic-induced dysfunction., Methods: Fifty-six patients undergoing 57 cavernous sinus surgical procedures performed by a single senior neurosurgeon were systematically evaluated to determine the consequences of surgery. Quantitative assessment of afferent (acuity, fields, pupil) and efferent function was stressed., Results: Five of 20 patients (25%) with preoperative optic nerve dysfunction improved, but vision worsened in 6 (30%), including 4 (20%) whose vision deteriorated to no light perception. Four (11%) of 37 patients developed newly acquired optic neuropathy. No patients with preoperative third nerve palsies (19) cleared, although one improved. All 57 patients had evidence of some cranial nerve dysfunction (III, IV, V, or VI) immediately after surgery. Eight patients with long-term follow-up had complete sixth nerve palsies (7 preoperatively), and 4 had complete third nerve dysfunction (none in patients normal preoperatively). Nine (16%) had evidence of aberrant regeneration of the third nerve, and 12 (21%) developed neurotrophic keratitis., Conclusions: Cavernous sinus surgery results in transient worsening of third, fourth, fifth, and sixth cranial nerve function. Cavernous sinus surgery carries a high risk of worsening ocular motor disorders and producing new ones. Preexisting cranial nerve dysfunction (other than optic nerve) rarely improves. Patients and physicians should be aware of the potential for ophthalmic complications in addition to the more generalized risks of neurosurgery (eg, cerebrospinal fluid leak, infection, stroke).

Aberrant regeneration of cranial nerve III, otherwise known as oculomotor synkinesis, is an uncommon but well-described phenomenon most frequently resulting from trauma, tumors, and aneurysms. Its appearance usually follows an oculomotor palsy, but it can also occur primarily without any preceding nerve dysfunction. It is vital that neurosurgeons recognize this disorder because it may be the only sign of an underlying cavernous tumor or PCoA aneurysm. The tumor most often implicated is a cavernous or parasellar meningioma, but any tumor that causes compression or disruption along the course of the oculomotor nerve may cause primary or secondary misdirection. The most common clinical signs of oculomotor synkinesis consist of elevation of the upper eyelid on attempted downward gaze or adduction, adduction of the eye on attempted upward or downward gaze, and constriction of the pupil on attempted adduction. The authors present the largest series of patients with oculomotor synkinesis, including those in whom it developed after neurosurgical intervention, to illustrate various presentations. In addition, the various mechanisms that contribute to synkinesis are reviewed. Last, the treatment strategies for both oculomotor palsies and synkinesis are discussed.

Background: The objective of this report is to describe the methods used to develop and validate a computerized system to analyze Humphrey visual fields obtained from patients with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) and enrolled in the Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Decompression Trial (IONDT). The IONDT was a multicenter study that included randomized and non-randomized patients with newly diagnosed NAION in the study eye. At baseline, randomized eyes had visual acuity of 20/64 or worse and non-randomized eyes had visual acuity of better than 20/64 or were associated with patients refusing randomization. Visual fields were measured before treatment using the Humphrey Field Analyzer with the 24-2 program, foveal threshold, and size III stimulus., Methods: We used visual fields from 189 non-IONDT eyes with NAION to develop the computerized classification system. Six neuro-ophthalmologists ("expert panel") described definitions for visual field patterns defects using 19 visual fields representing a range of pattern defect types. The expert panel then used 120 visual fields, classified using these definitions, to refine the rules, generating revised definitions for 13 visual field pattern defects and 3 levels of severity. These definitions were incorporated into a rule-based computerized classification system run on Excel(R) software. The computerized classification system was used to categorize visual field defects for an additional 95 NAION visual fields, and the expert panel was asked to independently classify the new fields and subsequently whether they agreed with the computer classification. To account for test variability over time, we derived an adjustment factor from the pooled short term fluctuation. We examined change in defects with and without adjustment in visual fields of study participants who demonstrated a visual acuity decrease within 30 days of NAION onset (progressive NAION)., Results: Despite an agreed upon set of rules, there was not good agreement among the expert panel when their independent visual classifications were compared. A majority did concur with the computer classification for 91 of 95 visual fields. Remaining classification discrepancies could not be resolved without modifying existing definitions. Without using the adjustment factor, visual fields of 63.6% (14/22) patients with progressive NAION and no central defect, and all (7/7) patients with a paracentral defect, worsened within 30 days of NAION onset. After applying the adjustment factor, the visual fields of the same patients with no initial central defect and 5/7 of the patients with a paracentral defect were seen to worsen., Conclusion: The IONDT developed a rule-based computerized system that consistently defines pattern and severity of visual fields of NAION patients for use in a research setting.

A 42-year-old, non-obese man with a three-month history of headache, pulsatile tinnitus, transient visual obscurations, and scintillations later developed low back pain with right lower extremity radiation. Brain MRI and magnetic resonance venography were normal, but spine MRI revealed a mass in the cauda equina. Neuro-ophthalmologic examination disclosed bilateral optic disc edema with normal visual function. During spine surgery, cerebrospinal fluid, released under high pressure despite prior hyperventilation, contained a glucose level of 51 mg/dl and a protein level of 1840 mg/dl. Histologic and immunohistochemical features of the lesion were compatible with a capillary hemangioma. Although spinal cord tumors have been associated with papilledema, this is the first report of a capillary hemangioma of the cauda equina in this context. If papilledema is present, spinal cord imaging should be performed when lumbar puncture discloses unexplained protein elevation and in cases that lack clinical features typical of idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is a multisystem inherited cancer syndrome with characteristic tumors and a known genetic basis. Patients with VHL develop, among other tumors, retinal capillary hemangiomas, central nervous system hemangioblastomas, renal clear cell carcinomas, and pheochromocytomas. Nearly all patients can be shown to have a mutation in the VHL gene, which is located on chromosome 3p25. Genetic abnormalities result in abnormal levels of pVHL, which in turn lead to the different tumors. Four distinct phenotypes of VHL disease have been identified based on the relative frequency of and propensity for the development of different VHL tumors. Aggressive screening of patients with VHL disease can prevent morbidity and mortality from these tumors. Although these tumors typically have been treated with observation or surgery, trials of newer medical therapies that target some of the cellular dysregulation caused by mutation in pVHL are ongoing. Even though these trials have not been wholly successful, they present an exciting direction for future research. This article presents a summary of new developments in VHL disease with a focus on ophthalmic and neuro-ophthalmic practice.

Background: The percentage of family physicians delivering babies decreased from 46% in 1978 to 32% in 1992. Some family practice leaders predicted that, by the turn of the century, training for family practice obstetrics would focus primarily on those planning to work in remote or rural settings. A 1993 study found three primary factors associated with an increased incidence of future maternity care. In 1997 the Residency Review Commission (RRC) stipulated that all family practice residencies have at least 1 family physician serve as an intrapartum attending physician for family practice resident deliveries., Methods: Using an instrument similar to that used in 1993, we surveyed the directors of 462 family practice residencies in the United States. Sixty-four percent (295) of the program directors responded to one of two mailings., Results: Compared with the survey published in 1993, program directors estimated a 16% increase in the number of residents who included obstetrics in their first practice after residency. Factors associated with increased obstetric participation included having only family physician faculty supervise uncomplicated deliveries and having family physician faculty who could perform other perinatal procedures. Programs that had 4 or more family physician faculty doing obstetrics and those that had more than 10 deliveries per month also produced more physicians who provided maternity care. Fifty-three percent of residencies that did not have family physician faculty attending deliveries before 1997 now meet this RRC requirement., Conclusions: This study shows that, according to their program directors' estimates, more family practice residents are including obstetrics in their first practice after residency compared with 5 years ago. The new RRC regulation was associated with more than 50% of previously noncompliant programs adding or retraining faculty who could attend resident deliveries within 12 months of the inception of the new policy.