Filiberto Altomare

Effectiveness at 1 year of monthly versus variable-dosing intravitreal ranibizumab in the treatment of choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose To evaluate the visual acuity results of monthly ranibizumab injections compared with a variable-dosing schedule for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Methods A retrospective study that compared two cohorts of consecutive patients. All patients were treatment naive, with baseline visual acuity of 20/400 or better, and completed 12 months of therapy. In the first group all patients received monthly injections. In the other group, after 3 monthly loading doses, a variable-dosing schedule was used, based on a monthly clinical assessment and optical coherence tomography. Results Fifty-six consecutive patients (60 eyes) were included. At 12 months the median number of injections were 12 and 8, respectively, and the mean change in Snellen visual acuity was an improvement of 0.27 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution in the monthly treated group versus 0.21 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution improvement in the variable-dosing group (P = 0.53). In the monthly treated group 96.8% of eyes lost <0.3 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution versus 96.6% of eyes in the variable-dosing group (P = 1.0). Conclusion We were able to show that in our clinical setting patients achieved similar visual acuity results with either monthly injections or with a variable-dosing protocol. There was a trend toward better results with monthly treatment.

Subconjunctival Lidocaine before Laser Treatment : A Randomized Trial

PURPOSE The aim of the study was to determine whether subconjunctival anesthesia is effective at reducing pain associated with laser retinopexy. DESIGN This was a single-center, prospective, patient-masked, randomized, controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS In the primary study group, 65 patients were recruited. Thirty-two patients (32 eyes) received anesthetic injection, and 33 patients (33 eyes) received the sham injection. The crossover study group consisted of 28 patients (56 eyes). METHODS Between February 2008 and April 2008, all patients who were consecutively booked to undergo panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) or peripheral laser retinopexy (PLR) were invited to participate in the study. Patients were randomized to receive subconjunctival lidocaine injection or a sham injection before their intended laser retinal treatment. These patients were defined as our primary study group. Patients who required a second laser treatment received the opposite injection in a masked fashion before laser retinal treatment. These patients were defined as our crossover group. Patients in both the primary study group and the crossover group were masked to the treatment given. After the laser treatment, patients completed a pain questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was incidence of pain. The secondary outcome was severity of pain. RESULTS Primary study group: In the anesthetic treatment group, 19 patients (59%) experienced pain compared with 32 patients (97%) in the sham treatment group (P<0.001). Among the patients who did experience pain, the average pain score was 3.6 in the anesthetic treatment group and 4.1 in the sham treatment group (P=0.55). Crossover study group: In the anesthetic treatment group, 12 patients (43%) experienced pain compared with 28 patients (100%) in the sham treatment group (P<0.001). In patients who did experience pain, the average pain score was 3.3 in the anesthetic treatment group and 4.6 in the sham treatment group. Twenty patients (71%) preferred anesthetic to sham treatments, 1 patient (4%) preferred sham over anesthetic, and 7 patients (25%) thought both laser treatments were the same. CONCLUSIONS Subconjunctival 2% lidocaine significantly reduces the incidence of pain in patients who receive PRP or PLR.

Cancer-associated nummular loss of RPE: expanding the clinical spectrum of bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation.

This report describes a case of cancer-associated nummular retinal pigment epithelium loss associated with uterine cancer. The patient had progressive visual loss despite treatment with plasmapheresis, intravenous immunoglobulin, and local injection of corticosteroids. Clinical deterioration was corroborated by extension of the areas of retinal pigment epithelium loss, progression of cataracts, and growth of pigmented choroidal and iris lesions. Previously published cases of cancer-associated nummular retinal pigment epithelium loss did not describe the presence of cataracts or uveal melanocytic lesions. This case expands the clinical spectrum of bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation.

Clear Cell Carcinoma of the Endometrium Causing Paraneoplastic Retinopathy: Case Report and Review of the Literature

We reviewed the literature for cases in which gynecologic malignancies caused paraneoplastic retinopathy and ultimately led to blindness. Twenty-eight cases were derived from the literature, and one unique case is described from our institution. Of these 28 cases, 14 patients were diagnosed with endometrial cancer, 7 with ovarian cancer, 5 with cervical cancer, 1 fallopian tube cancer and 1 with concomitant endometrial and ovarian cancers. The average age of patients at the time of diagnosis was 64 years (range, 35-89 years). Typically, ocular manifestations antedate symptoms of the underlying carcinoma by 3-12 months. Information regarding the interval from visual symptoms to time of death is limited, but ranges from several months to several years. Our report is the first to document a clear cell carcinoma of the endometrium causing paraneoplastic retinopathy and is the first to review all gynecologic malignancies associated with visual paraneoplastic syndromes.

PROPORTION OF PATIENTS WITH MACULAR HOLE SURGERY WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN FAVORABLE OCRIPLASMIN CANDIDATES: A Retrospective Analysis.

Purpose: To identify favorable ocriplasmin candidates from a cohort of idiopathic full thickness macular hole surgery patients. Methods: The records of patients with full thickness macular hole who underwent pars plana vitrectomy surgery between 2011 and 2015 were reviewed. Clinical data collected included patient demographics, pre- and post-operative Snellen visual acuity, optical coherence tomography findings, and lens status. The authors defined “favorable” ocriplasmin candidates as patients with focal vitreomacular traction, no epiretinal membrane, and hole size ⩽400 &mgr;m. The authors further categorized “optimal” candidates as age ⩽65, phakic, no epiretinal membrane, with focal vitreomacular traction, and hole size ⩽400 &mgr;m. Results: The records of 238 patients were assessed; 30.7% were male while mean age was 68.6 ± 8.3 years. The mean logMAR acuity was 1.2 (Snellen 20/317) preoperatively and 0.90 (Snellen 20/159) postoperatively. Optical coherence tomography findings indicated that 46.5% of the macular holes studied were less than ⩽400 &mgr;m in size, 14.8% had an epiretinal membrane, and 25.3% had vitreomacular traction. A total of 17.7% of study patients were found to be favorable candidates, whereas 3.8% were optimal ocriplasmin candidates. Conclusion: Only a minority of full thickness macular hole surgical candidates in this cohort would be considered favorable ocriplasmin candidates.

Surgical management of submacular hemorrhage: experience at an academic Canadian centre

OBJECTIVE To report the anatomical and visual outcomes of patients with thick submacular hemorrhage (SMH) treated with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), subretinal tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), and pneumatic displacement. DESIGN Single-centre, retrospective case series. PARTICIPANTS A total of 99 eyes of 99 consecutive patients with thick SMH secondary to any underlying etiology treated with PPV with subretinal t-PA and pneumatic displacement by 6 vitreoretinal surgeons at St. Michaels Hospital, Toronto, between July 2004 and August 2016. METHODS All medical records and colour fundus photographs were reviewed for data collection. Blood displacement was evaluated at follow-up visits and classified as complete, partial, or none. Main outcome measures included blood displacement at final follow-up, postoperative Snellen best-corrected visual acuities (BCVA), and complication and recurrence rates. RESULTS Patients had a mean age of 77.7 ± 12.3 years and were followed up for an average of 18.4 ± 22.3 months. Wet age-related macular degeneration was the most common etiology associated with thick SMH (80.8%). Complete blood displacement was observed by final follow-up in 85.9% of the cases, partial displacement in 12.1%, and none in 2.0%. Mean logMAR BCVA improved from 2.03 ± 0.81 (Snellen 20/2143) at baseline to 1.80 ± 1.00 (Snellen 20/1262; p = 0.009) at final follow-up, and baseline BCVA was a significant predictor of final BCVA (p < 0.001). Early postoperative complications included vitreous hemorrhage in 13 eyes and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in 8. Recurrent SMH was observed in 12 cases. CONCLUSIONS Vitrectomy with subretinal t-PA and pneumatic displacement seems to be an effective treatment for SMH in terms of blood displacement and visual outcomes.