Christos Kalogeropoulos

Intravitreal adalimumab for refractory uveitis-related macular edema.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravitreal adalimumab injections on refractory cystoid macular edema (CME) secondary to noninfectious uveitis. DESIGN Prospective, noncomparative, interventional case series. PARTICIPANTS Eight consecutive patients with controlled uveitis and chronic, refractory CME who had failed steroid treatment. INTERVENTION Intravitreal adalimumab injections were given monthly for 3 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Mean change in central retinal thickness (CRT) on optical coherence tomography (OCT); secondary objective was the mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). RESULTS Five of the eight patients completed the 6-month follow-up. For all 5 patients, the changes in BCVA from baseline to 3 months were not statistically significant (P=0.070). Similarly, the change in BCVA from baseline to 6 months was not statistically significant (P=1.0). The mean CRT at baseline was 692 microm. The changes from baseline to 3 months were not statistically significant (P=0.466); the changes from baseline to 6 months were also not statistically significant (P=0.808). We did not observe any ocular or systemic adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS Intravitreal adalimumab showed no efficacy in improving BCVA or reducing CRT in patients with chronic uveitic macular edema.

Vitrectomy results for diffuse diabetic macular edema with and without inner limiting membrane removal

Purpose To determine whether vitrectomy for diffuse diabetic macular edema with and without internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling is equally effective in reducing edema. METHODS The authors retrospectively analyzed the surgical outcomes in 73 eyes of 52 patients with diffuse diabetic macular edema. Eighteen eyes (Group A) underwent three-port pars plana vitrectomy with posterior hyaloid membrane (PHM) removal, while 55 eyes (Group B) had pars plana vitrectomy with additional ILM peeling after PHM removal. RESULTS. Intraoperatively the posterior hyaloid was found to be attached to the macula in all eyes. In Group A, macular edema resolved completely in 8 eyes (44.4%) with improvement of visual acuity (VA). In Group B, VA improved in 38 eyes (69.1%) with complete resolution of edema. The results of this study indicated that vitrectomy effectively reduced macular edema but eyes with ILM peeling (Group B) presented better results than those without ILM peeling. Another important factor related to the outcome seems to be the level of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). CONCLUSIONS In eyes with diffuse diabetic macular edema vitrectomy seems to be effective, but additional ILM peeling presented better results.

Orbital Metastasis from Prostatic Carcinoma

A rare case of orbital metastasis from carcinoma of the prostate in a 76-year-old man who presented with pain in his left eye, mild proptosis and reduced visual acuity is reported. Cranial CT scanning demonstrated large bone metastases in the left orbit. The patient underwent orbital evisceration. The histopathological studies that were based on the morphological and immunohistochemical findings confirmed the histological diagnosis of orbital metastasis arising from prostatic carcinoma with neuroendocrine features.

A Focus on the Epidemiology of Uveitis

ABSTRACT Purpose: Uveitis is a common, sight-threatening inflammatory ocular disease and includes multiple heterogeneous clinical entities. The prevalence of various types of uveitis depends upon multiple factors, such as age, sex, race, geographic distribution, environmental influence, genetics, and social habits. Epidemiologic research of uveitis is necessary to understand the etiology and immunopathogenesis of this group of diseases. The present study attempts to concentrate on the most recent information on the epidemiology of uveitis and compare it with previous knowledge. Methods: An extensive literature search was performed in the Medline database (PubMed) and included surveys completed until 2015. Articles that reported prevalence and incidence were studied. References cited in the articles were also studied. Results: The incidence and prevalence of uveitis differs based on age, anatomic location of the inflammatory process (anterior, intermediate, posterior uveitis, panuveitis), gender, histopathology (granulomatous, non-granulomatous), type of inflammatory process (acute, chronic, recurrent), and etiology (infectious, non-infectious). Prevalence differs by geographic location. Idiopathic anterior uveitis is the most common form of uveitis in the community. Infectious causes are common (30–60%) in the developing countries. Herpes and toxoplasmosis are the leading infectious causes of uveitis. Non-infectious uveitic conditions are generally more common in the developed world. An increase in the prevalence of infectious etiologies, including tuberculosis and syphilis, has been seen in developed countries. Introduction of new treatment options has also changed patterns of disease. Conclusions: Introduction of new uveitis entities, changes in the incidence of already known disease and increased availability of diagnostic testing have all altered the epidemiology of uveitis in recent years. Knowledge of regional patterns of disease is essential. A more detailed classification of uveitis with the establishment of uniform diagnostic criteria and prospective population based studies would certainly benefit epidemiologic research and clinical practice.

Electrophysiological examination in uveitis: a review of the literature

Purpose Uveitis is the inflammation of the uveal tract, which usually also affects the retina and vitreous humor. The electrophysiological examination is an objective ocular examination that includes the electroretinogram, visual evoked potentials, the electrooculogram, the multifocal electroretinogram, and multifocal visual evoked potentials. Our aim is to review the literature of the use of the electrophysiological examination in cases of uveitis. Methods We performed a systematic search of the literature of published papers until October 2012 using the PubMed search engine. The key terms that were used were “uveitis”, “electrophysiological examination”, “electroretinogram”, “visual evoked potentials”, “electrooculogram”, “multifocal electroretinogram”, and “multifocal visual evoked potentials” in multiple combinations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review concerning the assessment of electrophysiology in uveitis. Results Our search of the literature demonstrated that the electrophysiological examination, mainly by means of electroretinogram, multifocal electroretinogram, and visual evoked potentials, is performed in several cases of uveitis for many purposes, including diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression and treatment efficacy. The electrophysiological examination is more useful in patients with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome, acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy, birdshot chorioretinopathy, Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease, Adamantiades–Behçet disease, ocular syphilis, and Fuchs heterochromic cyclitis. Conclusion This review summarizes the use of the electrophysiological examination in uveitic patients and underlines its value as a useful tool in the objective assessment and the monitoring of the disease.

Imiquimod can be combined with cryosurgery (immunocryosurgery) for locally advanced periocular basal cell carcinomas

Recent reports of case series support the efficacy and safety of topical imiquimod in the treatment of periocular skin tumours.1 2 Cryosurgery is an established ‘non-surgical’ treatment modality for these tumours, particularly for eyelid basal cell carcinomas (BCCs).3 Ongoing studies from our group indicate that the targeted combination of cryosurgery with imiquimod is a highly efficacious modality for BCCs and Bowens disease of the skin.4 5 This letter aims to contribute to the current discussion on imiquimod-based treatment modalities for the management of skin tumours involving eye structures.1 2 We present three patients with biopsy proven, locally advanced periocular BCCs, who refused surgery and were treated with the combination ‘cryosurgery during continuing imiquimod application’ (immunocryosurgery).4 For immunocryosurgery, a commercial imiquimod 5% cream formulation (Aldara®, MEDA) was prescribed, and the patients were instructed to apply a tiny quantity (approximately 20–30% of the sachet content) on the tumour (including an ∼0.5 cm zone of healthy skin around it) every night at bedtime and wash it with tap water the following morning. Cryosurgery was performed by the open spray liquid N2 method employing a Cry-Ac (Brymill, UK) cryogun, with a tip B, under eye surface tetracain anaesthesia. Daily imiquimod application was not interrupted—even at the evening of the day that cryosurgery was performed. We have observed that omitting daily application of …

Retinopathy of Prematurity and other Ocular Problems in Premature Infants Weighing less than 1500 g at Birth

Purpose To estimate the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity and other ocular problems in a population of preterm infants. Methods This retrospective study included all infants with gestational age (GA) <32 weeks and birth weight (BW) <1500 g cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) over a period of nine years (1992–2000). Ophthalmological examination was started the 4th week of life and included refractive examination, examination of the cornea and funduscopy under mydriasis. An ocular motility test was done after the 2nd month. Results The study included 194 infants. Stage I and II retinopathy occurred in 51 infants but regressed spontaneously. Five of the 194 (2.5%) had to undergo cryopexy. Optic disc atrophy was observed in association with peri-intraventricular hemorrhage (PIIVH) (grade IV) in seven infants. Fifteen infants (7.7%) had retinal hemorrhages which were absorbed by three months of age. Almost 20% of the study infants developed high refractive errors and 13.4% strabismus. Conclusions Not only retinopathy of prematurity, but other serious ocular problems were observed in this population of preterm infants. The role of PIIVH III-IV in the pathogenesis of certain ocular problems needs further elucidation.

Anticardiolipin antibodies and occlusive vascular disease of the eye: Prospective study

There is a recognized association between the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies and vascular occlusive disease. The purpose of our study is to detect the presence of high titers of anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) in the serum and to correlate the titers with the severity of the vascular disease in patients with occlusive ocular vascular disease. 82 patients were included in a prospective study; 25 patients with anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy, 36 with retinal vein occlusion and 21 with retinal artery occlusion. ACA (IgG and IgM isotypes) were measured by ELISA in the sera of all patients. The group of the patients (group A) was compared to an age-matched control group of 79 healthy individuals (group B). IgG isotype (but not IgM) titers of ACA were found significantly higher in group A (P < 0; 0.001). In patients with titers of ACA (IgG isotype) > 100 units we noted a higher incidence of a more severe disease (recurrency, involvement of both eyes or extraocular manifestations) especially among those with anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy and secondarily in those with retinal artery occlusion.Our results suggest that the association between high titers of ACA and occlusive vascular disease of the eye concerns only the IgG isotype. In addition, the detection of high titers of IgG/AGA in patients could be a useful marker for disease severity and prognosis and this observation seems to be more explicit in cases with arterial occlusive disease than in cases with venous occlusive disease.

Polymorphism analysis of COL4A3 and COL4A4 genes in Greek patients with keratoconus.

Abstract Background: In this study, we conducted the genotyping of D326Y in COL4A3 and M1327V, as well as F1644F in COL4A4 polymorphisms, in a case–control sample panel of Greek origin population. Materials and Methods: A case–control panel, with 45 keratoconus (KC) patients and 78 healthy controls, were surveyed. DNA from each individual was tested for the D326Y in COL4A3 and M1327V, as well as F1644F in COL4A4 polymorphisms by direct sequencing. Results: When analyzing the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, we observed no significant deviation from expected numbers in both KC patients and controls. The genotype frequencies in the polymorphisms tested were not found to be significantly associated with KC development risk. The M1327V AA and F1644F TT genotypes were significantly over-represented in healthy individuals. Conclusions: We could hypothesize that mutations in COL4A3 and COL4A4 genes are not involved in KC risk in Greek population. Nevertheless, the M1327V AA and F1644F TT genotypes were significantly over-represented in healthy individuals, suggesting a protective role of these genotypes in KC development risk in our population.

The contribution of aqueous humor cytology in the differential diagnosis of anterior uvea inflammations

Background:Cytology of the aqueous humor can confirm the diagnosis of many intraocular conditions by revealing inflammatory cells, ghost red cells, lens material, and microorganisms. Purpose:The purpose of this study was to emphasize the contribution of aqueous humor fine needle aspiration cytology in cases where there is a clinical diagnostic dilemma whether an infectious or a noninfectious inflammatory process of the uvea is present. Methods:Collection of 0.15–0.2 ml aqueous humor was carried out with an insulin needle. The aspirated aqueous was then prepared for examination using either the Cytospin or the Thin-Prep technique and smears were stained with modified Papanikolaou and May-Grünwald-Giemsa stains. Results:Cytology of the aqueous humor essentially facilitated the differential diagnosis in 16 cases with an anterior uveal inflammation clinical picture. The cases included phacoanaphylactic endophthalmitis (n = 6), chronic postoperative bacterial endophthalmitis (n = 3), phacolytic glaucoma (n = 2), ghost cell glaucoma (n = 2), metastatic endophthalmitis (n = 1), post-traumatic lenticular abscess (n = 1), and iridocyclitis (n = 1). Treatment of the cases was successful. Conclusions:In selected cases, cytology of the aqueous humor reveals specific, with regard to the clinical entity, cell populations and other elements and thus contributes effectively to the differential diagnosis and therapeutic approach to some anterior uvea inflammations.