Survey of ophthalmology
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Malignant hyperthermia, a relatively recently described entity, is a little-understood disease process usually manifesting as operative or postoperative hyperpyrexia in association with a hypermetabolic state. Specific therapy with procaine (Novocaine) and more recently with a muscle relaxant, dantrolene sodium (Dantrium), has shown itself to be life-saving, and currently diagnosis can be made by muscle biopsy in patients from affected pedigrees. Malignant hyperthermia is a risk in all general anesthetic procedures, particularly squint and ptosis repair, and may even be a consideration with local anesthesia.
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Vitamin deficiency states are important in the genesis of many ocular disorders. Deficiencies may be due to poor dietary intake, or to alterations in metabolism produced by some commonly prescribed medications or by certain diseases. Furthermore, some vitamins may exert important pharmacologic effects on the normal eye. The ocular effects of deficiencies and excesses of specific vitamins, and the therapeutic uses of each vitamin, are reviewed.