Ahmet Bahadir Ergin

Rituximab-Induced Bronchiolitis Obliterans Organizing Pneumonia

Rituximab-induced lung disease (R-ILD) is a rare entity that should be considered in patients treated with rituximab who present with dyspnea, fever, and cough, but no clear evidence of infection. A variety of pathologic findings have been described in this setting. Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) is the most common clinicopathologic diagnosis, followed by interstitial pneumonitis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Prompt diagnosis and treatment with corticosteroids are essential as discussed by Wagner et al. (2007). Here we present a case of an 82-year-old man who was treated with rituximab for recurrent marginal zone lymphoma. After the first infusion of rituximab, he reported fever, chills, and dyspnea. On computed tomography imaging, he was found to have bilateral patchy infiltrates, consistent with BOOP on biopsy. In our patient, BOOP was caused by single-agent rituximab, in the first week after the first infusion of rituximab. We reviewed the relevant literature to clarify the different presentations and characteristics of R-ILD and raise awareness of this relatively overlooked entity.

Recurrent granulomatous mastitis mimicking inflammatory breast cancer.

Granulomatous mastitis (GM) is an uncommon benign breast lesion. Diagnosis is a matter of exclusion from other inflammatory, infectious and granulomatous aetiologies. Here, we presented an atypical GM case, which had clinical and radiologic features overlapping with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). The disease had multiple recurrences. The patient is a 40-year-old Caucasian woman with a sudden onset of left breast swelling accompanied by diffuse skin redness, especially of the subareolar region and malodorous yellow nipple discharge from the left nipple. The disease progressed on antibiotic treatment and recurred after local resection. A similar lesion developed even after bilateral mastectomy. GM may show clinical/radiologic features suggestive of IBC. Multiple recurrences can be occasionally encountered. GM after recurrence could be much more alarming clinically. Pathology confirmation is the key for accurate diagnosis and a multidisciplinary approach is important to rule out IBC.

COMPARING PERIPHERAL VITRECTOMY UNDER AIR AND FLUID INFUSION FOR PRIMARY RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENT.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of peripheral vitrectomy under air infusion in comparison with fluid infusion in patients undergoing 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Methods: A total of 80 eyes of 80 patients with primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment were enrolled into the study. Forty cases underwent peripheral vitrectomy under air infusion (air group), and a control group of equal number underwent peripheral vitrectomy under fluid infusion (fluid group). Peripheral iatrogenic retinal breaks during peripheral vitrectomy, postoperative visual acuities, and retinal redetachment rates were compared. Results: The number of eyes with peripheral iatrogenic retinal breaks in air group during peripheral vitrectomy was statistically comparable with that in fluid group (1/40 and 4/40, 2.5% and 10%, respectively; P = 0.16). Scleral depression was necessitated in 7 of 40 cases (17.5%) during the operation in the air group. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in means of postoperative visual acuity and retinal redetachment (P = 0.18 and P = 1.0, respectively). Conclusion: Peripheral vitrectomy under air infusion for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment revealed comparable results with fluid infusion in terms of intraoperative and postoperative complications and surgical outcomes.

Evaluation of Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness in Internal Carotid Artery Stenosis

Purpose. To evaluate the relationship between internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) in the elderly population. Methods. A total of 42 eyes of 21 patients with more than 70% ICA stenosis (Group 1) on one side and less than 70% stenosis (Group 2) on the other side were recruited for this study. ICA stenosis was diagnosed using both the B-mode and Doppler ultrasound. The two groups were compared in terms of the percentage of stenosis, SFCT measurements, intraocular pressure, ocular perfusion pressure, refractive error, and peak systolic velocity. Eyes were examined with the RTVue-100 OCT device by the EDI-OCT technique. Results. The mean age of the patients was 71.9 ± 10.8 years. The mean percentage of ICA stenosis was 74 ± 4.9% in Group 1 and 47.5 ± 7.7% in Group 2. The mean SFCT was 231.9 ± 44.6 μm in Group 1 and 216.2 ± 46.8 μm in Group 2, which was significantly lower (P = 0.028). A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the percentage of internal carotid artery stenosis and SFCT (r = 0896, P = 0.001). Conclusions. Compensatory SFCT increase can be seen in ipsilateral internal carotid artery stenosis greater than 70%.

Management of iatrogenic crystalline lens injury occurred during intravitreal injection

To evaluate the approach to management of iatrogenic crystalline lens injury occurred during intravitreal injection (IVI). The patients who were managed operatively or followed-up without intervention after the iatrogenic lens injury due to IVI were included in the study. Capsular breaks remained either quiescent or resulted in cataract formation in the patients with inadvertent crystalline lens capsule damage. Phacoemulsification surgery was performed in patients with cataract formation with lower fluidic settings. A total of 9 cases included in the study. Seven cases underwent phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation. Two cases remained as quiescent lens injury during the follow-up. In 2 cases, dislocation of lens fragments occurred during phacoemulsification where pars plana vitrectomy was performed at the same session. After iatrogenic crystalline lens injury, capsular damage could remain quiescent or progress to cataract formation. Although phacoemulsification surgery can be performed with appropriate parameters, lens fragment dislocation can be observed in cases with traumatic lens damage secondary to IVI.

DPP-4 INHIBITOR THERAPY IN PATIENTS AFTER PANCREATIC TRANSPLANT.

OBJECTIVE Management of new onset hyperglycemia after pancreas transplantation (PT) is not well studied. There is a lack of information on effective and safe management options for hyperglycemia after PT. We tested the hypothesis that early intervention for hyperglycemia using a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor prolongs insulin-free graft function in patients after PT. METHODS Twenty-six patients who developed noninsulin-dependent hyperglycemia at least 1 year after PT met the inclusion criteria for this retrospective chart review. Sitagliptin, a DPP-4 inhibitor, was a commonly used therapy for hyperglycemia after PT due to its wide availability and coverage. The standard therapy group included patients who did not receive any oral or noninsulin injection therapy until insulin was clearly required to control hyperglycemia. The intervention group included patients who had received sitagliptin soon after hyperglycemia developed. The median follow-up period was 45 months. The time to hyperglycemia from 1 year after PT and time to insulin requirement after hyperglycemia development were compared between these 2 groups. RESULTS The time to hyperglycemia after PT was not different between the groups, but the time to insulin requirement was significantly longer in the intervention group compared with the standard therapy group (P<.001). After adjusting for body mass index (BMI), the difference remained significant (P<.001). CONCLUSION Early treatment of hyperglycemia after PT with a DPP-4 inhibitor such as sitagliptin prolongs the time to insulin therapy compared with a standard observation approach. Prospective studies are needed to further investigate this observation.

Clinical Features and Prognosis of Herpetic Anterior Uveitis

Objective: To evaluate clinical features, complications, visual outcomes and treatment modalities in patients clinically diagnosed with herpetic anterior uveitis (AU). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 67 patients seen at the Umraniye Training and Research Hospital, Ophthalmology Clinic, Uveitis and Cornea Department from January 2009 to June 2013. Results: Thirty-seven patients (55.2%) were female and 30 (44.7%) patients were male. The average follow-up period was 12.9 ± 10.6 months (range: 1-45 months). The most common ocular findings were granulomatous keratic precipitates (KPs) (82.2%), corneal involvement (62.6%), iris atrophy (41.7%) and transient elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) (40.2%). Recurrences were observed in 46.2% of the eyes and the median recurrence rate was 1.0 during the follow-up period. Topical steroids and oral antiviral (acyclovir) therapy were applied to all patients during active episodes. Long-term oral acyclovir was used in 29.8% of the patients. Recurrence rates were significantly lower in patients who used oral acyclovir for more than 6 months, whereas complications rates and final visual acuity did not show any difference between groups. Final visual acuity was better than 20/40 in 61.1% of eyes, and visual impairment was due to corneal scarring or cataract formation. Conclusion: Herpetic AU can present with or without corneal involvement. Granulomatous KPs, iris atrophy and elevated IOP are important clinical findings for the diagnosis of cases without corneal involvement. Long-term oral acyclovir treatment (more than 6 months) and is important to decrease recurrence rates and possible complications. Visual prognosis is favorable in cases without corneal scarring.

Implantation of foldable posterior chamber intraocular lens in aphakic vitrectomized eyes without capsular support

PURPOSE To evaluate the outcomes of three different surgical techniques for foldable posterior chamber intraocular lens (PCIOL) implantation in vitrectomized eyes without capsular support. METHODS A total of 60 patients with aphakic and vitrectomized eyes without capsular support were enrolled. All patients underwent three-piece foldable PCIOL implantation into the posterior chamber through a small corneal incision. Transscleral fixation (TSF), iris fixation (IF), and intrascleral tunnel fixation (ISF) surgical techniques were performed. RESULTS Postoperative PCIOL subluxation or dislocation occurred in one case in the TSF group and two cases in the ISF group. Intraoperative PCIOL dislocation occurred in two patients in the IF group. The incidence of temporary postoperative complications, such as mild intraocular hemorrhage and cystoid macular edema, was higher in the ISF group. No statistically significant difference in PCIOL-related astigmatism was observed between groups. Visual acuity improved in all groups. CONCLUSIONS Postoperative outcomes were comparable between TSF, IF, and ISF for PCIOL in vitrectomized eyes without capsular support.

Glycemic control with use of insulin glargine after cardiothoracic surgery: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE Perioperative glycemic control in critically ill cardiothoracic surgery patients may improve postsurgical outcomes. The objective of the study was to compare outcomes before and after the implementation of a protocol using subcutaneous (SC) glargine at transition from intravenous insulin infusion (IVII). METHODS In August 2006, the Cleveland Clinic began using glargine and supplemental rapid-acting sliding scale insulin (SSI) at transition from IVII (glargine-SSI group). Before August 2006, only supplemental insulin was used (SSI-only group). The primary outcome was first blood glucose (BG1) after discontinuation of IVII. Secondary outcomes included the absolute difference between the last glucose before discontinuation of IVII (BG0) and BG1, mean glucose in the first 24 hours after discontinuation of IVII (BG24), need for SSI, and hypoglycemia. RESULTS Mean BG0, BG1, and BG24, and the difference between BG1 and BG0 and between BG24 and BG0 were not significantly different between groups. Diabetes mellitus (DM) patients who had received glargine had a lower mean difference between BG1 and BG0 and a lower mean BG24 than those who had not received glargine (14.6 mg/dL vs. 33.1 mg/dL; P = .20, and 163.8 mg/dL vs. 177.9 mg/dL; P = .29, respectively). A higher proportion of DM patients needed SSI than did non-DM patients (82% vs. 36%; P<.001). CONCLUSION Glargine administered at the cessation of IVII enabled less SSI coverage in diabetic patients subsequent to transition from IVII. However, there was no significant difference in BG control between the glargine-SSI and SSI-only groups. Prospective studies involving more patients are needed to show possible clinically significant benefits of this intervention.

Evaluation of spectral domain optical coherence tomography parameters in ocular hypertension, preperimetric, and early glaucoma

Purpose: The objective of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic ability of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), macular, optic nerve head (ONH) parameters in healthy subjects, ocular hypertension (OHT), preperimetric glaucoma (PPG), and early glaucoma (EG) patients, to reveal factors affecting the diagnostic ability of spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) parameters and risk factors for glaucoma. Methods: Three hundred and twenty-six eyes (89 healthy, 77 OHT, 94 PPG, and 66 EG eyes) were analyzed. RNFL, macular, and ONH parameters were measured with SD-OCT. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and sensitivity at 95% specificity was calculated. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the glaucoma risk factors. Receiver operating characteristic regression analysis was used to evaluate the influence of covariates on the diagnostic ability of parameters. Results: In PPG patients, parameters that had the largest AUC value were average RNFL thickness (0.83) and rim volume (0.83). In EG patients, parameter that had the largest AUC value was average RNFL thickness (0.98). The logistic regression analysis showed average RNFL thickness was a risk factor for both PPG and EG. Diagnostic ability of average RNFL and average ganglion cell complex thickness increased as disease severity increased. Signal strength index did not affect diagnostic abilities. Diagnostic ability of average RNFL and rim area increased as disc area increased. Conclusion: When evaluating patients with glaucoma, patients at risk for glaucoma, and healthy controls RNFL parameters deserve more attention in clinical practice. Further studies are needed to fully understand the influence of covariates on the diagnostic ability of OCT parameters.