|
|
ARTICLES |
|
Year : 1977 | Volume
: 25
| Issue : 4 | Page : 46 |
|
Round worm (Ascaris lumbricoides) in the lacrimal passage
TP Ittyerah1, S Tony Fernandez1, VB Radhakrishnan2
1 Little Flower Hospital, Angamally, Kerala, India 2 Dept of Pediatric, Little Flower Hospital, Angamally, Kerala, India
Correspondence Address: T P Ittyerah Little Flower Hospital, Angamally, Kerala India
Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None | Check |
PMID: 659007
How to cite this article: Ittyerah T P, Fernandez S T, Radhakrishnan V B. Round worm (Ascaris lumbricoides) in the lacrimal passage. Indian J Ophthalmol 1977;25:46 |
Parasitic infestation of the lacrimal sac is a rare occurance [1] . Laignier Terrasse [3] Kaplan [2] and Leite Filho and Cremonesi [4] documented cases wherein round worm was coming to conjunctival sac through lacrimal punctum. This report deals with an Indian girl presented with a round worm in the conjunctival sac.
Case Report | | |
An eight month old girl was brought to Little Flower Hospital, Angamally for cough, fever and abdominal pain for few days. She was admitted in the Paediatric Ward and was on treatment for respiratory tract infection. She was on Benzyl Penicillin alongwith expectorant. Chest X-ray showed pneumonitic patches.
On the second day the child vomitted a few round worms and her mother noticed a white thread-like worm in the right eye. On examination, it was found to be a round worm presenting at the upper lacrimal punctum. About one centimetre of the worm was outside the punctum in the conjunctival sac. 'There was mucopurulent conjunctivitis. The worm was gently removed with a pair of forceps under general anaesthesia and framycetin eye ointment (Soframycin) was applied.
It was found to be a live, fifteen centimetre long round worm with about 1 cm. circumference in the broadest part. Later the fever, pneumonia and conjunctivitis subsided. She was dewormed with Tetramisole (Decaris) twentyfive milligram given at night for two days and the child passed eighty round worms.
Discussions | | |
In tropical countries like India ascariasis is very common especially in children. Not infrequently children vomit round worms and a few of them may come through the nose. In this particular case, the worm had fount, its way through nasolacrimal duct. It could come through the narrow canaliculus of a baby by moulding itself to the width of canaliculus. The upper canaliculus being more in alignment to the nasolacrimal duct the worm might have found it easier to comeout through it.
Summary | | |
A case of round worm coming into to the conjunctival sac through the upper punctum is documented in a girl of eight months old.
References | | |
1. | Duke Elder, S., 1974, System of Ophthalmology, 13, Part II, p. 731, Henry Kimpton, London. |
2. | Kaplan, Freedman and Elsdon Dew, 1956, quo `ed by Duke Elder, S., 1974, System of Ophthalmology, 13, Part 11, p. 731 Henry Kimpton, London. |
3. | Laignier-Terrasse, 1932, Quo'ed by Duke Elder, S., 1974, System of Ophthalmology, 13, Part 11, p. 731, Henry Kimpton, London. |
4. | Leite Filho and Cremopesi, 1972, Quo'ed by Duke Elder, S., 1974, System of Ophthalmology, 13, Part II, p. 731, Henry Kimpton, London. |
[Figure - 1]
|