Rigid fixation of internal orbital fractures.

When large portions of the internal orbit are destroyed (two to four walls), standard bone-grafting techniques for immediate and late orbital reconstruction may not yield predictable eye position. Critical bone support is most often deficient inferomedially. CT analysis of orbital volume in cases where eye position was unsatisfactory reveals that displacement of bone grafts is one mechanism of the unsatisfactory result.

[Hemin treatment in a case of porphyria variegata].

Hemin is known as an interesting drug in the treatment of acute attacks of porphyria: this was verified in a case of porphyria variegata. Furthermore, bimestrial perfusion of 500 mg of hemin prevented new biological and clinical deterioration. If confirmed, this schedule would represent a major progress in the management of porphyria variegata.

[Review: beta-blocking agents in dermatology (author's transl)].

The authors present a survey of the side effects of beta-blocking agents. Practolol has been linked with a lupus syndrome characterized by biological abnormalities and eventually clinical signs; later on, other beta-blocking agents have been able to induce such manifestations. Thus, all beta-blocking agents proved hazardous and they must be prescribed with extreme caution in patients with immunological imbalance.