Curbside Consultation in Oculoplastics

Easy Conversations - Practical advice for oculoplastics

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The curbside consultation is another term for the kind of informal chat that doctors have always had and probably always will have about challenging cases. In this age of evidence-based medicine and clinical guidelines, the curbside consultation is the kind of thing that is probably not supposed to happen anymore. Happen they do, however, and Slack has used the concept as the 'hook' for a series of ophthalmic books.

Each of these books takes a similar format – 49 clinical questions, generally ones which will face advanced practitioners rather than trainees, with an accompanying essayistic explanation.

Each of these is written by an expert in the field, and is lavishly illustrated with full-colour photographs as well as tables and schematic diagrams. The aim is to combine comprehensive, practical, evidence-based advice with the informality and ease of a conversation with a helpful colleague.

This particular book focuses on oculoplastics and is divided into 10 sections. The first is on upper eyelid malposition and related disorders. The four chapters focus on blepharoptosis, both general management and more specific issues such as congenital blepharoptosis and the risk of upper eyelid retraction following blepharoptosis repair.

The second section deals with lower eyelid malposition and related disorders – ectropion, entropion and lower eyelid retraction.

The third section is on eyelid neoplasms. Firstly, the thorny issue of when an eyelid lesion requires biopsy is considered. Then there are discussions on therapeutic interventions – when should Mohs surgery be employed, the management of chalazia and actinic keratosis, and lentigo maligna.

The fourth section is entitled 'miscellaneous' and deals with a medley of topics such as tarsorrhaphy, trichiasis, facial nerve palsy, and the ever-vexing question of when to order an MRI or CT.

The fifth section, divided into five chapters, is on orbital inflammation and infection.

Moving on to the sixth section, we return to neoplasms, this time of the orbit. The section discusses the recommended clinical approaches to lacrimal gland tumours, orbital lymphomas, conjunctival malignancies, and benign reactive lymphoid hyperplasia. A section on trauma covers orbital fractures, orbital foreign bodies, traumatic optic neuropathy, orbital haemorrhage and canalicular lacerations. All the advice is direct and practical as is required for traumatic clinical presentations.

One of the most emotive and consequential procedures an ophthalmologist may be called upon to perform is an enucleation or evisceration. A whole section is devoted to this issue, and to that of the anophthalmic socket. The penultimate section deals with the lacrimal drainage system, and the final one with another emotive and consequential area, that of cosmetic oculofacial plastic surgery. This section has the most individual chapters, from 'How do I manage the unhappy cosmetic patient?' to 'What are the current thoughts on blepharoplasty?'

Overall, this book covers a wide range of topics of interest to all practitioners.

Books editor:
Seamus Sweeney
Publication
Curbside Consultation
in Oculoplastics:
49 Clinical Questions
Editors
Robert C Kersten,
Timothy J McCulley
published by Slack INC.