Anticonvulsant drugs used in the treatment of lancinating pain. A comparison

The value of anticonvulsant drugs in the treatment of some cases of lancinating pain is now established. The results in 170 consecutive cases in an ongoing series are reported with special reference to the efficacy of four anticonvulsants--carbamazepine, clonazepam, phenytoin and valproate. The findings are discussed.     

PSEUDOPHAKIC CYSTOID MACULAR OEDEMA AND ITS TREATMENT WITH LOCAL STEROIDS

The treatment of 26 cases of cystoid macular oedema following cataract extraction is reviewed. Cases treated early and more aggressively with betamethazone drops and subtenons injection of methyl-prednisolone, responded well to treatment. Those given later and fess aggressive treatment had a less satisfactory outcome. Our results would suggest that local steroids are effective in the treatment of pseudophakic cystoid macular oedema.     

Assessment of gross motor skills of at-risk infants: predictive validity of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale

The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) is a norm-referenced measure of infant gross motor development. The objectives of this study were: (1) to establish the best cut-off scores on the AIMS for predictive purposes, and (2) to compare the predictive abilities of the AIMS with those of the Movement Assessment of Infants (MAI) and the Peabody Developmental'Gross Motor Scale (PDGMS). One hundred and sixty-four infants were assessed at 4 and 8 months adjusted ages on the three measures. A pediatrician assessed each infant's gross motor development at 18 months as normal, suspicious, or abnormal. For the AIMS, two different cut-off points were identified: the 10th centile at 4 months and the 5th centile at 8 months. The MAI provided the best specificity rates at 4 months while the AIMS was superior in specificity at 8 months. Sensitivity rates were comparable between the two tests. The PDGMS in general demonstrated poor predictive abilities.