Purpose: To validate a Sinhalese version of the VFQ-25 vision related quality of life assessment tool for use in Sri Lankan populations. Methods: An instrument validation study was conducted at the National Eye Hospital, Colombo. All consenting patients with diabetic retinopathy who attended the clinics during the period of data collection were recruited until the expected sample size was met. Expert review of the translated questionnaire was done by a consultant vitreoretinal surgeon and a specialist in ophthalmological research. Patient responses were used to assess internal consistency, inter-rater and test-retest reliability and construct validity. Content validity was ensured by expert review. Results: 71 patients participated in the study of whom a majority were males (53.5%) and the mean age was 57.68 (+/- 9.429) years. The mean logMAR binocular single vision (BSV) and Eastermann scores were 0.803 (+/- 0.630) and 79.27 (+/- 21.95) respectively. A high level of internal consistency as well as inter-rater and test-retest reliability overall and for each subscale was demonstrated, with an overall Cronbach alpha value of 0.953 for internal reliability. The overall score correlated with best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of the better eye, BSV and Eastermann score demonstrating good construct validity. Conclusion: The developed Sinhalese version of the VFQ-25 was proven to be a valid and reliable tool. It is the first ever complete vision related quality of life questionnaire to be validated for use in a Sri Lankan setting and will be of immense benefit to clinicians and academics for future studies.
Introduction: Kidney transplantation is the optimal treatment for patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). However, the shortage of donor organs remains a major limitation. The use of kidneys from paediatric deceased donors is one strategy to expand the donor pool. En bloc dual kidney transplantation (EBKT), in which both kidneys are transplanted together with the donor aorta and inferior vena cava, has been developed to overcome concerns related to small renal mass and vascular complications.Case series: We report three cases of en bloc dual kidney transplantation from paediatric deceased donors performed in Sri Lanka. Donor ages ranged from three to seven years (mean age 5.25 years), with body weights between 12 kg and 14.5 kg (mean weight 13.25 kg). The grafts were transplanted into adult recipients with end-stage renal disease. In all cases, the donor aorta and inferior vena cava were anastomosed to the recipient's external iliac vessels. Two recipients demonstrated immediate graft function, while one developed transient acute tubular necrosis with subsequent recovery. All recipients were discharged with satisfactory graft function.Conclusion: This case series demonstrates that en bloc dual kidney transplantation from paediatric donors is a feasible and safe option with favourable early graft outcomes. It may represent a valuable strategy to expand the donor pool in resource-limited settings such as Sri Lanka.
