Assessment of facial asymmetry before and after the surgical repair of cleft lip in unilateral cleft lip and palate cases

This study was performed to assess facial asymmetry in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) before and after primary lip repair. Three-dimensional facial images of 30 UCLP cases (mean age 3.7 ± 0.8 months) captured 1–2 days before surgery and 4 months after surgery using stereophotogrammetry were analysed. A generic mesh – a mathematical facial mask consisting of thousands of points (vertices) – was conformed on the three-dimensional images. Average preoperative and postoperative conformed facial meshes were obtained and mirrored by reflecting on the lateral plane. Facial asymmetry was assessed by measuring the distances between the corresponding vertices of the superimposed facial meshes. Asymmetries were further examined in three directions: horizontal, vertical, and anteroposterior. Preoperatively, the philtrum and bridge of the nose were deviated towards the non-cleft side. The maximum vertical asymmetry was at the upper lip. The greatest anteroposterior asymmetry was at the alar base and in the paranasal area. The overall facial asymmetry improved markedly after surgery. Residual anteroposterior asymmetry was noted at the alar base, upper lip, and cheek on the cleft slide. In conclusion, dense correspondence analysis provided an insight into the anatomical reasons for the residual dysmorphology following the surgical repair of cleft lip for future surgical consideration

Effect of acupuncture TENS versus conventional TENS on post cesarean section incision pain

Background: There is evidence regarding beneficial use of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on post Lower Segment Caesarean Section (LSCS) incision pain. However, efficacy of different types of TENS following C section pain has not yet been explored adequately.Methods: 96 women who had recently undergone LSCS were included for the study. The subjects were in the age group of 20 to 40 years (25.84±3.96); having pain intensity 4 or more on Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). They were divided into three groups by random allocation method; namely Group A: Acupuncture (Low/Motor) TENS, Group B: Conventional (High/Sensory) TENS and Group C: Control group. Group A and B received specific type of TENS twice a day for 15 minutes. Control group C did not receive any TENS intervention. All subjects received standard post-operative medications and physiotherapy. Pain intensity was recorded on NPRS pre and post intervention.Results: Both Acupuncture TENS and Conventional TENS significantly decreased post-operative pain intensity as compared to control group (p value <0.0001).Conclusions: Both, acupuncture and conventional TENS are equally effective in reducing post LSCS incision pain at a strong and non-painful intensity

Study of pregnancy outcome in elderly gravida

Background: Elderly gravida which is defined as age of mother as 35 years or more at the time of delivery has become increasingly common in last two to three decades. This accelerating demographic shift is of major clinical and public health concern, because advanced maternal age has consistently been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.Methods: An observational prospective study consisting of 120 pregnant women. All participants were divided into Study group and Control group.Results: Women of advanced maternal age have higher frequency of antenatal complications leading to early pregnancy termination and operative interference. There is significant increase in the incidence of adverse perinatal outcome due to preterm deliveries and NICU admission and neonatal death.Conclusions: With improved health services and better prospects of women who are >35 years of becoming pregnant, these pregnancies are fraught with complications. Women should realistically appraise the risks of pregnancy in later life. Hence these women should be counselled, and their complications managed with utmost care

A rare case report of ovarian torsion with sigmoid volvulus

Ovarian torsion results from twisting of the ovary about the suspensory ligament, which contains the ovarian artery and vein, lymphatic’s, and nerves. Volvulus is a torsion of a segment of the alimentary tract, that often leads to intestinal obstruction. Ovarian torsion leading to sigmoid volvulus is the rarest complication which authors found in this case. Hence the case was presented. A 28-year-old women presented with acute pain in abdomen since 14 hours, followed by 2 episodes of vomiting, abdominal distension since 10 hours. Plain X-ray Abdomen erect was done which showed ‘Coffee bean’ sign with multiple air fluid levels suggestive of sigmoid volvulus. On laparotomy, after opening the peritoneum, large right ovarian cyst around 12×11×10 cm with solid and haemorrhagic content with long pedicle around 8 cm with 3 turns of torsion was noted. Abutting the ovarian mass, sigmoid colon was seen twisted around its mesentery including the twisted ovarian pedicle. Hence, the twisted component included the twisted ovarian pedicle and twisted sigmoid mesentery. Stepwise detorsion of ovarian pedicle followed by oophorectomy was done. For sigmoid volvulus, resection of vascular compromised sigmoid colon and descending colon stoma was done. Reanastomosis was done later after 3 months post operatively

The effect of facial expression on facial symmetry in surgically managed unilateral cleft lip and palate patients (UCLP)

Aim: To evaluate the symmetry of facial expression in surgically managed UCLP patients. Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 13 four-year-old children. Facial images were captured at rest and at maximum smile using stereophotogrammetry. A generic mesh, which is a mathematical facial mask consisting of a fixed number of indexed vertices, was utilised for the assessment of facial asymmetry. This was quantified by measuring the disparity between the left- and right-hand sides of the face after superimposing the original 3D images on their mirror copies. Results: Residual asymmetries at rest were identified at the vermillion of the upper lip and at the nares with a deviation of the philtrum towards the scar tissue. Vertical and anteroposterior asymmetries were identified on the cleft side. At maximum smile, the asymmetry increased noticeably at the vermillion of the upper lip and at the alar base. In the mediolateral direction, the philtrum deviated towards the cleft side with a significant increase of the asymmetry scores. Discussion: Asymmetry of the upper lip has significantly increased at maximum smile as a result of the upward forces of all perioral lifting muscles, which affected the lip directly. Conclusions: The innovation of this study is the measurement of facial asymmetry for the objective outcome measure of the surgical repair of UCLP. The philtrum was the main site of residual asymmetry, which indicates the need for refining the primary repair of the cleft lip. Further corrective surgery may be required

Optical measurement of a micro coriolis mass flow sensor

Haneveld [1,2] demonstrated a micro Coriolis mass flow sensor, operating in the\ud measurement range of 0 to 1 g/hr achieving a resolution in the order of 10 mg/hr\ud using a laser vibrometer. Equipped with an integrated capacitive [3] readout the\ud measurement uncertainty amounted to 2% of the full scale range. We demonstrate a\ud down-scalable and low-cost optical sensor system that measures the movement of the micro Coriolis mass flow tube with a high resolution. The noise level is measured to be 6 mg/hr at a 3s confidence interval

Optical Limiting in Single-walled Carbon Nanotube Suspensions

Optical limiting behaviour of suspensions of single-walled carbon nanotubes in water, ethanol and ethylene glycol is reported. Experiments with 532 nm, 15 nsec duration laser pulses show that optical limiting occurs mainly due to nonlinear scattering. The observed host liquid dependence of optical limiting in different suspensions suggests that the scattering originates from microbubbles formed due to absorption-induced heating.Comment: 10 pages, 5 eps figures, to appear in Chem. Phys. Let