AIM To assess levels of soluble Fas (sFas) in the sera of patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy. METHODS The subjects in this study were 43 patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy and 11 normal subjects. Serum levels of sFas were determined by sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, serum levels of thyroid stimulating antibody (TSAB) were also measured in all the patients. RESU...

AIM To identify ARIX gene polymorphisms in patients with congenital superior oblique muscle palsy and to find the relation between the ARIX gene and congenital superior oblique muscle palsy. METHODS The three exons of the ARIX gene were sequenced by genomic DNA amplification with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing in 15 patients with superior oblique muscle palsy (13 with c...

The superior rectus muscle of the rabbit can be separated into two plates: One is comprised, solely of F elder struktur ("slow") fibers and the other almost exclusively of Fibrillenstruktur ("twitch") fibers. Responses of isolated portions of the two muscle types to acetylcholine were compared under identical experimental conditions. The results indicate that the Felderstruktur fibers are respo...

Extraocular muscle represents a distinctive class among mammalian skeletal musculature in exhibiting the full range of muscle fiber type variability found in vertebrate species. To better understand the basis for the unique structural/functional diversity of extraocular muscle, the ontogeny of lateral rectus muscles was studied in Macaca nemestrina fetuses of 62-156 days gestation using light a...

Kimura's disease (KD) is a rare, chronic inflammatory disorder, which is characterized by tumor-like masses mainly located in the head and neck region. Extraocular muscle involvement in KD is uncommon. We report a case of KD that involved both the extraocular muscles and buccal area. A 13-year-old male presented to our clinic with a two-year history of exophthalmos of the left eye and facial sw...

PURPOSE To introduce myectomy of the lateral rectus muscle for correcting exotropia in patients with third nerve palsy. METHODS The lateral rectus muscle of the paretic eye was myectomized without suturing it to the globe. This was combined with a medial rectus muscle resection and a contralateral lateral rectus muscle recession. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed to observe the re-atta...

O phthalmologists are, and should be, proud of the advances in cataract surgery and aphakic correction that have occurred over the past two decades. Today, cataract surgery is considered one of the most successful surgical procedures performed throughout the world. The resulting quality of vision is usually excellent and the complication rate reasonably low. One postoperative complication, dipl...

PURPOSE Weak eye muscles can cause ophthalmic disorders, and in particular, strabismus. Exogenous trophic factors such as cardiotrophin (CT)-1 and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) have been shown to increase the contractile force of adult heart and skeletal muscles, respectively. In the current study, the effects of endogenous and exogenous trophic factors on extraocular muscle strength and mas...

purpose: to evaluate the effect of botulinum toxin-a as an alternate to surgery in acute complete sixth nerve palsy and to shorten the recovery period. methods: thirty patients with acute complete sixth nerve palsy received 1-10 units of botulinum toxin-a (dysport) injection in the medial rectus muscle within one month from the onset of palsy. toxin was injected directly into the muscle belly u...

OBJECTIVE Establish criteria for the diameters of normal extraocular muscles using computerized tomography in a Thai population. MATERIAL AND METHOD Diameters of extraocular muscles (medial, lateral, superior complex, and inferior rectus) were calculated for 200 patients on coronal direction of screening paranasal sinuses. The effects of age and sex were also analyzed. RESULT Normal ranges ...