Efrem D. Mandelcorn

A practical guide to the monitoring and management of the complications of systemic corticosteroid therapy

Systemic corticosteroids play an integral role in the management of many inflammatory and immunologic conditions, but these agents are also associated with serious risks. Osteoporosis, adrenal suppression, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, Cushing’s syndrome, psychiatric disturbances and immunosuppression are among the more serious side effects noted with systemic corticosteroid therapy, particularly when used at high doses for prolonged periods. This comprehensive article reviews these adverse events and provides practical recommendations for their prevention and management based on both current literature and the clinical experience of the authors.

Antibiotic Resistance of Ocular Surface Flora With Repeated Use of a Topical Antibiotic After Intravitreal Injection

IMPORTANCE Treatment with intravitreal (IVT) injections has increased during the last several years as evidence has accumulated demonstrating the efficacy of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and various retinal vascular diseases. Although IVT injections are generally safe, infectious endophthalmitis is a rare but devastating complication, and the risk of morbidity and vision loss from endophthalmitis is high. OBJECTIVE To examine the change in antibiotic resistance of ocular surface flora with repeated prophylactic use of antibiotics after IVT injection for AMD. DESIGN AND SETTING Prospective, nonrandomized cohort study in 2 tertiary academic hospitals. PARTICIPANTS Patients 65 years and older with newly diagnosed AMD were recruited by 7 retinal specialists from July 1, 2010, through December 31, 2011. INTERVENTION The study group received topical moxifloxacin hydrochloride for 3 days after each monthly IVT injection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Resistance to moxifloxacin and ceftazidime in cultured isolates at baseline and monthly for 3 months by change in minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of culture isolates was studied. RESULTS The study group consisted of 84 patients, and the control group had 94 patients. In the study group, the baseline adjusted MIC increased (from 1.04 to 1.25 μg/mL; P = .01) as did the MIC for 50% of isolates (MIC50) (from 0.64 to 1.00 μg/mL) and the MIC for 90% of isolates (MIC90) (from 0.94 to 4.00 μg/mL). In both groups, the culture-positive rate did not change significantly when adjusted for baseline. No significant change was found in the MIC level, culture-positive rate, MIC50 level, and MIC90 level in the control group. Subgroup analysis found diabetes mellitus to be noncontributory to both the MIC and culture-positive rate. No endophthalmitis or adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Repeated use of topical moxifloxacin after IVT injection significantly increases antibiotic resistance of ocular surface flora. We recommend that routine use of prophylactic antibiotics after IVT injection be discouraged. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01181713.

Retinal vasculitis and ocular vitreous metastasis following complete response to PD-1 inhibition in a patient with metastatic cutaneous melanoma

We report on a 36-year-old woman treated with the anti PD-1 antibody Pembrolizumab for metastatic cutaneous melanoma in the first line setting. She achieved a complete response and then relapsed with metastases to the vitreous cavity with an associated angiographically determined retinal vasculitis. Vitreous metastasis without choroidal involvement is unusual and may be due to individual cell extravasation, vitreous hemorrhage containing malignant cells, or direct spread through the optic nerve. This finding highlights the need for immune sanctuary sites to be monitored in the presence of PD-1 inhibition and we hypothesize that the use of PD-1 inhibitor potentiated the patient’s angiographically determined retinal vasculitis.

Fixation Control before and after Treatment for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

PURPOSE We studied changes in visual acuity (VA), fixation stability, and location of the preferred retinal locus (PRL) after treatment for unilateral neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) for previously untreated eyes. Concomitant changes in fixation stability, PRL, and VA in the untreated fellow eye were also analyzed. METHODS Pre- and posttreatment tests of visual acuity, fixation stability, and PRL location in both the treated and the untreated eyes were performed on 13 patients undergoing three monthly intravitreal injections of ranibizumab in one eye. RESULTS For the treated eyes there were improvements in VA and fixation stability but no changes in the location of the PRL. No significant changes in any of the three variables were found in the untreated eye. CONCLUSIONS For previously untreated eyes, the improvement in visual acuity after intravitreal ranibizumab injections was accompanied by improvement in fixation stability.

Idiopathic epiretinal membranes: cell type, growth factor expression, and fluorescein angiographic and retinal photographic correlations

BACKGROUND We studied the cellular constituents and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta2) in idiopathic epiretinal membranes (ERMs), attempting to correlate the presence of these growth factors with fluorescein leakage during angiography and with the amount of macular scar tissue. METHODS Idiopathic ERMs were excised at vitrectomy in 41 consecutive cases and stained for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, cytokeratin, desmin and actin. A subset of 13 cases for which fluorescein angiograms and colour retinal photographs were available was further studied for the presence of VEGF and TGF-beta2 in the ERMs, fluorescein leakage and amount of macular scar tissue. RESULTS Of the 41 ERMs, 31 (76%) were found to be fibroglial by light microscopy; 40 (98%) stained for GFAP, 39 (95%) for vimentin, 10 (24%) for cytokeratin, 3 (7%) for desmin and 11 (27%) for actin. Of the 13 ERMs in the subset, staining was positive for VEGF in 11 (85%) and for TGF-beta2 in 11 (85%). There was no statistically significant relationship between the presence of VEGF and leakage (p = 0.68) or between the presence of TGF-beta2 and scar size (p = 0.90). When both VEGF and TGF-beta2 were present, there was likely to be leakage or a large scar, or both, which suggested that an interaction exists between the two growth factors (p = 0.057). When leakage occurred, large scars were 2.5 times less likely to be present; when no leakage occurred, large scars were 2.5 times more likely to be present (odds ratio 0.4; Yules association coefficient -0.43). INTERPRETATION The cells constituting idiopathic ERMs were primarily fibroglial with minimal staining evidence for the presence of contractile proteins in their cytoplasm. VEGF and TGF-beta2 were present in 85% of specimens. Although there was no direct correlation between the presence of these growth factors and either fluorescein leakage or the abundance of scar tissue respectively, there was some evidence for the interaction of these growth factors in producing either leakage or abundance of scar tissue.

Infectious causes of posterior uveitis.

The differential diagnosis of posterior infectious uveitis is broad. There are, however, a few common infectious causes of posterior uveitis that should always be considered. The more common infectious causes of posterior uveitis include syphilis, toxoplasmosis, tuberculosis, endogenous endophthalmitis, and viral causes (including herpes simplex virus, herpes zoster virus, and cytomegalovirus). The clinical features, diagnostic tools, and treatment options for each of these are reviewed in this article.

Cytomegalovirus retinitis in the absence of AIDS.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate systemic and ophthalmic features associated with Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in immunocompetent patients. DESIGN Retrospective chart review. PARTICIPANTS Nine patients with CMV retinitis who were clinically immunocompetent at the time of diagnosis. METHODS Retrospective chart review of patients evaluated at the Casey Eye Institute, University of Washington, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and University of Toronto. IRB approval was obtained. Retrospective chart review of patients evaluated at the Casey Eye Institute, University of Washington, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and University of Toronto. IRB approval was obtained. RESULTS Seven of the nine patients in our series were 60 years of age or above. Three patients had intravitreal steroid and VEGF inhibitor injections in the preceding year in the affected eye. Five of the nine patients were initially misdiagnosed to have acute retinal necrosis (ARN) for which they were on Valacyclovir for a variable period of time. Seven patients had anterior chamber and eight had vitreous inflammation. Six of the nine patients exhibited vascular attenuation or obliteration. All patients showed improvement in retinitis within weeks following therapy with intravitreal foscarnet and/or ganciclovir and systemic valganciclovir.

Fixation stability as a goal in the treatment of macular disease

Recent advances in the treatment of macular diseases have improved macular anatomy and function as measured and quantified by visual acuity, retinal thickness, and vascular changes detailed by fluorescein angiography. Such observed changes do not always explain improvement in visual function and do not always correlate with patient satisfaction. In some cases, there is poor correlation between anatomic changes and functional improvement. Microperimetry studies on fixation stability after treatment of macular diseases have shown a strong correlation between better fixation stability and visual acuity. Furthermore, achieving better fixation stability facilitates low-vision rehabilitation. These microperimetry findings suggest that fixation stability should be regarded as an important outcome measure in studies of macular disease treatment and should be considered in clinical and research studies of low-vision rehabilitation in cases of treated macular diseases.

Update on pneumatic retinopexy.

Purpose of review Pneumatic retinopexy is an effective, cost-efficient procedure for retinal detachment repair. We review the history, indications, procedure, outcomes, economics, and trends regarding this in-office procedure. Recent findings Pneumatic retinopexy is classically performed in patients with small, superior retinal breaks, but these indications are expanding, with good results. Retinal reattachment rates with pneumatic retinopexy vary from 60% to 91% depending upon patient selection. Pneumatic retinopexy is less costly to perform than scleral buckling and pars plana vitrectomy and avoids many of the complications associated with these procedures. Despite these good results, recent data suggest that the use of pneumatic retinopexy is on the decline. Summary Recent review of the literature and our own personal experience using pneumatic retinopexy in selected cases of retinal detachment indicate that it is an effective and inexpensive procedure that avoids many of the complications that are associated with other retinal reattachment procedures.

Internal drainage for chronic macula-involving serous retinal detachment in idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy.

Conventional treatment of idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy (ICSC) consists of argon laser, photodynamic therapy, or observation. However, in cases of atypical bullous ICSC with exudative detachment preventing any laser therapy, a surgical approach with external drainage of fluid has been performed. We present a case of ICSC with persistent macula involving exudative retinal detachment without evidence of uveitis that responded favorably to internal drainage by vitrectomy along with a scleral buckle placement. Our case, treated with internal drainage, also demonstrated successful long-term reattachment of the serous retinal detachment without any additional complications from the surgery.