Objective Assessment of the Core Laparoscopic Skills Course

Objective. The demand for laparoscopic surgery has led to the core laparoscopic skills course (CLSC) becoming mandatory for trainees in UK. Virtual reality simulation (VR) has a great potential as a training and assessment tool of laparoscopic skills. The aim of this study was to determine the role of the CLSC in developing laparoscopic skills using the VR. Design. Prospective study. Doctors were given teaching to explain how to perform PEG transfer and clipping skills using the VR. They carried out these skills before and after the course. During the course they were trained using the Box Trainer (BT). Certain parameters assessed. Setting. Between 2008 and 2010, doctors attending the CLSC at St Georges Hospital. Participants. All doctors with minimal laparoscopic experience attending the CLSC. Results. Forty eight doctors were included. The time taken for the PEG skill improved by 52%, total left hand and right hand length by 41% and 48%. The total time in the clipping skill improved by 57%. Improvement in clips applied in the marked area was 38% and 45% in maximum vessel stretch. Conclusions. This study demonstrated that CLSC improved some aspects of the laparoscopic surgical skills. It addresses Practice-based Learning and patient care

Exposure to Caper Spurge (Euphorbia lathyris) Sap: A Case of Ocular and Periorbital Toxicity

Introduction: We aimed to describe a case of bilateral keratoconjunctivitis after exposure to the toxic sap of Euphorbia lathyris. Case Report: A 76-year-old gentleman presented after exposure to E. lathyris whilst he was gardening. He had 6/12 visual acuity in his right eye, and 6/4 in his left. Examination revealed marked periocular dermatitis, conjunctival injection and corneal oedema in the right eye with diffuse punctate epithelial staining. He was treated with ocular irrigation, topical steroids, antibiotics, cycloplegics and lubricants. Over 48 h, his left eye started to become symptomatic. He developed bilateral corneal epithelial defects and anterior chamber inflammation. His visual acuity worsened to 6/36 right and 6/24 left. At his 3-week follow-up, there was marked improvement in the resolution of the toxic keratoconjunctivitis in both eyes. Conclusion: Toxic sap from E. lathyris can cause severe keratoconjunctivitis. Irrigation of both eyes despite unilateral symptoms and early follow-up should be considered signs of toxicity may only become evident after 24–48 h

Zonular dialysis and cataract surgery: results from a UK tertiary eye care referral centre

Objective: Zonular dialysis (ZD), referred to as the presence of a deficient zonular support for the lenticular capsule, might be the result of several causes and be detected only at the time of cataract surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate pre-, intra-, and postoperative features of eyes with ZD regardless of the etiology detected during cataract surgery. Methods: A single-centre retrospective observational cohort study was performed at Moorfields Eye Hospital (NHS Foundation Trust, London, U.K.) to identify patients who underwent cataract surgery whose procedure was intraoperatively described as being complicated by ZD between January 1, 2014, and August 22, 2019. Patient characteristics, intraoperative clinical findings, visual and refractive outcomes, and postoperative complications were recorded. Results: ZD was identified intraoperatively in 447 eyes. In most cases (213 of 223; 96.8%), patients underwent a phacoemulsification procedure, not requiring any conversion to intracapsular or extracapsular extraction technique. Intraoperative complications increased to 46.2% (103 of 223), with no significant correlation with ZD width. Capsular tension rings (CTRs) were implanted in 43.4% of patients (97 of 223). The use of CTRs correlated with better postoperative visual and refractive outcomes. Conclusions: ZD is a serious complication of cataract surgery requiring prompt intraoperative diagnosis and proper management. While it tends to worsen cataract surgery outcomes, the implantation of CTRs during the surgical procedure seems to be associated with better postoperative visual and refractive results

Karmen : L’art habile de la séduction. Karmen Geï, Canada / France / Sénégal 2001, 82 minutes

Ocular angiogenesis and macular oedema are major causes of sight loss across the world. Aberrant neovascularisation, which may arise secondary to numerous disease processes, can result in reduced vision as a result of oedema, haemorrhage, and scarring. The development of antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents has revolutionised the treatment of retinal vasogenic conditions. These drugs are now commonly employed for the treatment of a plethora of ocular pathologies including choroidal neovascularisation, diabetic macular oedema, and retinal vein occlusion to name a few. In this paper, we will explore the current use of anti-VEGF in a variety of retinal diseases and the impact that these medications have had on visual outcome for patients

Man versus Machine: Software Training for Surgeons-An Objective Evaluation of Human and Computer-Based Training Tools for Cataract Surgical Performance

This study aimed to address two queries: firstly, the relationship between two cataract surgical feedback tools for training, one human and one software based, and, secondly, evaluating microscope control during phacoemulsification using the software. Videos of surgeons with varying experience were enrolled and independently scored with the validated PhacoTrack motion capture software and the Objective Structured Assessment of Cataract Surgical Skill (OSACCS) human scoring tool. Microscope centration and path length travelled were also evaluated with the PhacoTrack software. Twenty-two videos correlated PhacoTrack motion capture with OSACCS. The PhacoTrack path length, number of movements, and total procedure time were found to have high levels of Spearman's rank correlation of −0.6792619 ( = 0.001), −0.6652021 ( = 0.002), and −0.771529 ( = 0001), respectively, with OSACCS. Sixty-two videos evaluated microscope camera control. Novice surgeons had their camera off the pupil centre at a far greater mean distance (SD) of 6.9 (3.3) mm, compared with experts of 3.6 (1.6) mm ( ≪ 0.05). The expert surgeons maintained good microscope camera control and limited total pupil path length travelled 2512 (1031) mm compared with novices of 4049 (2709) mm ( ≪ 0.05). Good agreement between human and machine quantified measurements of surgical skill exists. Our results demonstrate that surrogate markers for camera control are predictors of surgical skills