Case of leprosy mimicking preseptal cellulitis: a diagnostic dilemma

A 36-year-old Asian man presented with swelling over the left frontal region involving the upper eyelids, with associated erythema and tenderness for 1 month duration. Clinically he was diagnosed as a case of preseptal cellulitis, however, the lesion did not improve on broad-spectrum systemic antibiotics. CT showed superficial soft tissue swelling in the forehead extending till the superior part of orbit. Histopathological assessment of the lesion revealed clusters of epithelioid cells with multinucleate giant cells in the dermis along with perivascular and periadnexal lymphocytic infiltrates, suggestive of leprosy. The patient was started on oral steroids with multidrug therapy, following which the patient showed early resolution of the lesion within 10 days of treatment. Leprosy is endemic in India, leprosy with reactional episodes mimics other inflammatory and infective etiologies making diagnosis difficult. Leprosy should be present in an ophthalmologist’s diagnostic repertoire while dealing with periorbital swellings for early clinical diagnosis and favourable outcomes.

Orbital Cellulitis in Children: Experience of the Pediatric Service at Mohammed v Military Hospital

Background: Orbital cellulitis is a diagnostic and therapeutic emergency, jeopardizing the vital and functional prognosis. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological, therapeutic and evolutional aspects of orbital cellulitis cases treated at the pediatric service at Mohamed V military hospital. Patients and methods: retrospective study including all the children aged between 1 month and 15 years treated for orbital cellulitis at the pediatric service of the Mohamed V Hospital over a period of 3 years (1st January 2016-31st December 2019). Results: 24 cases of orbital cellulitis were gathered. Age varied between 1 month and 15 years with a median of age of 6. years. Feminine predominance (58%) was noted . The disease mainly involved the sinus (32%).Clinically, fever was present in 10 patients (41%),palpebral edema was universal, proptosis was noted in 5 cases(20.8%),chemosis and ptosis were noted in 4 cases(16.6%),bacteriological testing identified micro-organisms in 3 cases. An orbital CT scan was performed in all cases of our study, showing preseptal cellulitis in 14 cases (58.3%), orbital cellulitis in 3 cases(12.5%),and orbital abscess in 7 cases. The medical treatment consisted of ceftriaxone, metronidazole and aminoside or amoxicilline clavulanic acid, corticosteroid therapy prescribed in 5 cases. Surgical treatment was indicated in 3 patients. The outcome of All cases was favorable. Conclusion: The majority of our cases had a positive evolution highlighting the advantage of an early diagnosis, and adapted antibiotic and a multidisciplinary patient care making the need for surgery rarely necessary.

Differences in characteristics, aetiologies, isolated pathogens, and the efficacy of antibiotics in adult patients with preseptal cellulitis and orbital cellulitis between 2000–2009 and 2010–2019

Background/aimsTo understand whether the epidemiology, aetiologies, common pathogens and the antibiotic efficacy against the identified bacteria of periorbital cellulitis in adults have changed recently (2010–2019) compared with the past decade (2000–2009).MethodsAdult patients (n=224) diagnosed with preseptal cellulitis and orbital cellulitis admitted to Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital during 2000–2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic and clinical characteristics, isolated pathogens and antibiotic susceptibility tests against the commonly cultured bacteria were analysed.ResultsPreseptal cellulitis showed a tendency of female predominance. Patients in their 60s showed an incidence peak; more cases were observed during winter. The most common predisposing factor was dacryocystitis (15.5%–30.5%), followed by hordeolum (15.5%–24.8%). Aetiology of sinusitis (p=0.001) decreased and that of conjunctivitis (p=0.007) increased significantly with time. Culture results of nasopharyngeal swabs and local abscess showed higher positivity rate than conjunctival swab. The most common isolates were methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antibiotics including fluoroquinolones and vancomycin were effective; in contrast, ampicillin/sulbactam and oxacillin showed decreasing efficacy against gram-positive bacteria. For antibiotic treatment against P. aeruginosa, fluoroquinolones, ceftazidime, piperacillin and imipenem were ideal choices.ConclusionIn isolated pathogens, the increasing trend of methicillin-resistant S. aureus detection was compatible with reducing oxacillin efficacy against periorbital infection. In our study, the report of antibiotic efficacy against the most common identified bacteria offered empirical choices for hospitalised patients with periorbital infection before obtaining culture results.

A pediatric case of orbital cellulitis with pansinusitis and subperiosteal abscess

While less common than preseptal cellulitis, orbital cellulitis can have severe complications. With the proper use of a computed tomographic (CT) scan, physicians can more quickly recognize the clinical signs of orbital cellulitis and begin interventions to properly treat the condition. This case report highlights the importance of timely diagnosis and successful intervention for orbital cellulitis by recognizing infection progression.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility, Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations, and Clinical Profiles of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Endophthalmitis

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia has been reported in various ocular infections, including keratitis, conjunctivitis, preseptal cellulitis, and endophthalmitis, all of which may lead to vision loss. However, the S. maltophilia strain is resistant to a wide variety of antibiotics, including penicillins, third-generation cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, and imipenem. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the clinical characteristics, antibiotic susceptibility, antimicrobial minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), and visual outcomes for S. maltophilia endophthalmitis. The data of 9 patients with positive S. maltophilia cultures in a tertiary referral center from 2010 to 2019 were reviewed. Cataract surgery (n = 8, 89%) was the most common etiology, followed by intravitreal injection (n = 1, 11%). S. maltophilia’s susceptibility to levofloxacin and moxifloxacin was observed in 6 cases (67%). Seven isolates were resistant to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (78%). The MIC90 for S. maltophilia was 256, 256, 256, 8, 12, 12, 12, and 8 μg/mL for amikacin, cefuroxime, ceftazidime, tigecycline, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, levofloxacin, galtifloxacin, and moxifloxacin, respectively. Final visual acuity was 20/200 or better in 5 patients (56%). Fluoroquinolones and tigecycline exhibited low antibiotic MIC90. Therefore, the results suggest that fluoroquinolones can be used as first-line antibiotics for S. maltophilia endophthalmitis.

Preseptal and Orbital Cellulitis: Thirteen Years of Experience and a Novel Scoring System (SNIPPED Score) for Differentiation

We aimed to evaluate clinical and laboratory characteristics of children with preseptal cellulitis (PC) or orbital cellulitis (OC) and to determine whether easily-accessible parameters could be used to predict OC. The data of children diagnosed with PC or OC between January 2008 and December 2020 were evaluated. Patients aged between 1 month and 18 years who were treated with intravenous antibiotics were included. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify possible parameters in differentiating between PC and OC. A beta coefficient-based method was used to derive the scoring system. A total of 375 patients [202 (53.9%) boys], of whom 35 (9.3%) had OC, were evaluated. Median age was 44 (min-max: 1-192) months. Compared to those with PC, patients with OC were older (p = 0.001), had fever and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) symptoms more frequently, and demonstrated prolonged symptom and hospitalization times (p˂0.001 for all). Significant differences between groups were observed for numerous parameters; however, logistic regression analysis revealed only five parameters independently associated with OC. The SNIPPED score variables and weights were as follows: sinusitis (2 points), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio > 6.78 (3 points), platelet count > 420.5 x103/mm3 (2 points), proptosis (4 points) and duration of symptoms ≥ 4 days (4 points). A cut-off of ≥ 7 points for OC diagnosis was found to have 91.4% sensitivity, 96.2% specificity, 71.1% PPV, 99.1% NPV and 95.7% accuracy. Conclusion: In addition to showing previously known properties of OC versus PC, our study demonstrated that easily-accessible parameters could be used for the identification of OC.