Fulvio Bergamini

Diagnosis of macular pseudoholes and lamellar macular holes: is optical coherence tomography the “gold standard”?

Aim: To assess fundus autofluorescence (AF) for differential diagnosis of macular pseudoholes (MPH) and lamellar macular holes (LMH) evaluated by optical coherence tomography (OCT) as the “gold standard”. Methods: The files on 50 eyes of 46 consecutive patients diagnosed by OCT as having a foveal defect with residual retinal tissue at the bottom were reviewed. Retinal thickness was measured at the foveal centre and 750 μm temporally and nasally to differentiate further MPH and LMH. The corresponding corrected AF images were then evaluated. Eyes with either macular pucker or stage 1a impending macular hole served as controls. Results: OCT measurements allowed the classification of two different profiles: 28 eyes classified with MPH had macular centres and perifoveal retinas that were significantly thicker than the 22 eyes classified with LMH. The corrected value of the foveal AF intensity was not significantly different between the two groups. In addition, the AF did not correlate with the thickness of the retinal tissue at the base of either MPH or LMH eyes. None of the control eyes showed foveal AF. Conclusions: The findings suggest that OCT data must be interpreted with caution when differentiating between MPH and LMH. In this series, the two groups showed similar foveal AF. AF imaging may add useful information to the differential diagnosis of MPH from LMH: the presence of foveal AF is consistent with a loss of foveal tissue and therefore a diagnosis of LMH.

Posterior polymorphous dystrophy of the cornea - An ultrastructural study

A corneal button excised from a 2-month-old infant with congenital posterior polymorphous dystrophy of the cornea, a rare disease affecting Descemets membrane and endothelium, was examined by electron microscopy. We observed irregularly arranged, sometimes multilayered cells with marked epithelial features, lining the posterior surface of the cornea in place of the endothelium, and Descemets membrane with focal alterations sometimes involving all of its layers. We interpreted these abnormal cells as epithelial-like cells. As these findings were in a very young patient, which is unusual, we concluded that the onset of the disease may take place in the early period of intrauterine life, corresponding to the beginning of Descemets membrane production.

Imaging of Naive Myopic Choroidal Neovascularization by Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

Purpose: To assess the tomographic features of myopic choroidal neovascularization by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Methods: We consecutively reviewed the charts of patients with pathologic myopia, recent visual acuity deterioration and active macular neovascularization. Specific tomographic changes were studied in 25 eyes by two authors independently. Results: The mean age of patients eligible for the study was 63.4 (±18.2) years. Main tomographic outcomes were the hyperreflectivity of the lesion in 88% of cases (95% CI 0.74-1.02), absence of the external limiting membrane in 88% (95% CI 0.84-1.02), and retinal thickening in 83% (95% CI 0.67-0.99). The internal plexiform layer remained discernible in 83% (95% CI 0.67-0.99) of cases, the inner nuclear layer in 62% (95% CI 0.37-0.80), the external plexiform layer in 48% (95% CI 0.27-0.69). Retinal edema was noted in 48% (95% CI 0.26-0.70) of patients. Conclusions: Myopic choroidal neovascularization appears predominantly hyperreflective, causes thickening of the corresponding retina and mainly involves the external retinal segments. Retinal fluid is infrequent.

Only first intravitreal bevacizumab injection achieves statistically significant visual improvement in naïve myopic choroidal neovascularization

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab when administered on an as-needed basis for the treatment of myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV), and to assess visual changes upon treatment. Methods This study was designed as a retrospective, interventional case series, for which the inclusion criteria were pathologic myopia, and documentation of untreated active macular CNV on fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography. Monthly changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), visual gain after each treatment, and correlation with refraction, age, location, and dimension of CNV were considered. The data were analyzed using the one-tailed, paired Wilcoxon test. Results Nineteen naive eyes were found suitable for the study. The mean number of treatments was 3.32 ± 2.36 (confidence interval 2.25–4.37) during a mean follow-up period of 18.95 ± 8.3 months. At baseline, mean BCVA was 0.58 ± 0.37 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) units. At 12 months, mean BCVA was 0.39 ± 0.35 logMAR and at 24 months was 0.39 ± 0.40. Mean improvement in BCVA from baseline was +0.17 ± 0.25 logMAR (P < 0.05) at month 12, +0.14 ± 0.25 logMAR (P = 0.1) at month 18, and +0.09 ± 0.32 logMAR (P = 0.5) at month 24. Improvement on pretreatment BCVA was significant (+0.16 logMAR, P < 0.01) after the first injection, but not after the second (−0.01 logMAR, P = 0.5) or third (+0.02 logMAR, P = 0.5) injections. There was a statistically significant correlation between age and number of treatments, and between improvement in BCVA of foveal versus extrafoveal location of CNV. Conclusion The use of intravitreal bevacizumab “as needed” is an effective treatment for myopic CNV, but visual gain is statistically significant only after the first injection and decreases in the second year.

Multimodal imaging and diagnosis of myopic choroidal neovascularization in Caucasians

Purpose To investigate myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV) by fluorescein angiography (FA), spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), near-infrared (NIR) reflectance, and autofluorescence (AF). Methods This retrospective study included 65 eyes of 62 Caucasian patients with a mean age of 66.72 years (95% confidence interval [CI] 63–70 years) and a mean refraction of −9.72 diopters (95% CI −8.74 to −10.70 diopters). Results Most of the mCNV cases were foveal-juxtafoveal (60/65, 92.3%), with thickening of the corresponding retina (62/65, 95.3%) and leakage on FA (44/65, 67.6%). No retinal fluid was detectable in 32 (49.2%) eyes and there was no hemorrhage in 25 (38.4%) eyes. Papillary chorioretinal atrophy was evident in 58 (89.2%), a shadowing effect in 48 (73.8%), and an epiretinal membrane in 38 (58.4%) eyes. If an area of macular chorioretinal atrophy was present, mCNV frequently developed adjacent to it and was hyperfluorescent rather than with leakage (P⩽0.001). In eyes with edema or hemorrhage, hyper-reflective foci were more frequent (P⩽0.005). NIR and AF features were indeterminable in 19 (29.2%) and 27 (41.5%) eyes, respectively. The predominant feature was black or grayish on NIR (34/65, 52.3%) and patchy (hypo- and hyperfluorescence was observed) on AF (25/65, 38.4%). FA and SD-OCT correctly detected mCNV in 49 (75.3%) and 48 (73.8%) eyes, respectively, whereas NIR and AF exhibited limited diagnostic sensitivity. Doubtful diagnosis was associated with hyperfluorescent mCNV (P⩽0.001), absence of retinal fluid and epiretinal membrane (P⩽0.05), and presence of macular chorioretinal atrophy (P⩽0.01). Conclusion Tomographic, angiographic, AF, and NIR features of mCNV are described in this study. Combination of SD-OCT and FA is recommendable for diagnosis.

Ultrasound Cyclo-Plasty in Patients with Glaucoma: 1-Year Results from a Multicentre Prospective Study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ultrasound cyclo-plasty (UCP) for reducing intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with glaucoma. Methods: This is a multicentre prospective study conducted in 3 Italian glaucoma centres. UCP was performed by EyeOP1, which delivers ultrasound beams using 6 piezoelectric transducers activated for 4/6 s (first generation) or 8 s (second generation). Primary outcomes were the mean IOP reduction and the rates of success after 1 year. Secondary outcomes were the mean IOP reduction at each follow-up, and the reduction of the number of hypotensive medications. Results: In total, 49 eyes from 47 patients were treated. One year postoperatively, the mean IOP had decreased from 27.7 ± 9.2 to 19.8 ± 6.9 mm Hg (p < 0.001), and the mean number of hypotensive drops and tablets had decreased from 3.2 and 0.5 to 2.3 and 0.2, respectively (p < 0.05). Postoperative IOP reduction was significantly related to preoperative IOP (r2 = 0.5034; p < 0.0001). Second-generation probes determined a significantly higher IOP reduction (p < 0.05). Qualified success was achieved in 25 eyes (51.1%) and complete success in 21 (42.9%), while failure was recorded in 12 (24.5%). Conclusions: UCP is safe and effective for reducing IOP. The procedure determines a greater IOP reduction in patients with higher preoperative IOP. Second-generation probes improve outcomes without detrimental effects on safety.