Jan Studnička

Haemorheopheresis could block the progression of the dry form of age‐related macular degeneration with soft drusen to the neovascular form

Purpose:  To evaluate the influence of haemorheopheresis on anatomical and functional findings in patients with soft‐drusen maculopathy.

Rheohaemapheresis in the treatment of nonvascular age-related macular degeneration

PURPOSE To evaluate the experience with rheohaemapheresis (RH) in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS Thirty-eight patients were each treated with 8 procedures of RH (14 males, 24 females). The control group consisted of 34 random patients (30 females, 4 males) with the dry form of AMD but not treated by RH. Our modification of the cascade method (named rheohaemapheresis) was used for plasma separation. After plasma separation (blood cell separator, Cobe Spectra, Denver, CO, USA), the separated plasma was pumped through a rheofilter (Evaflux 4A, Kuraray, Osaka, Japan) to remove lipoproteins and other high-molecular-weight rheologic factors. RESULTS In treated patients, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) increased significantly from 0.61 (0.06-1.00) to 0.68 (0.35-1.00) after 2.5 years (p = 0.035). We found no significant changes or differences in scotopic activity, whereas cone response and paramacular activity in the more peripheral region between 14° and 22° of eccentricity were significantly higher in treated patients after 2.5 years. CONCLUSION RH therapy favourably influenced BCVA. During 2.5 years after the therapy, no progression of dry to wet AMD was observed in our patients. RH reduced the area of drusenoid retinal pigment epithelium detachment (which increased during the natural course of dry form AMD). RH influenced rheological markers and probably improved metabolism in the affected retinal areas which lead to the aforementioned positive results.

Changes of the complement system and rheological indicators after therapy with rheohemapheresis

INTRODUCTION In the last 10 years, many studies have been published on the role of the complement system in microcirculation disorders. However, as for the changes of complement components after rheohemapheresis, there is still a lack of detailed data in the literature. Complement changes may play an important role in pathogenesis of some microcirculation disorders, such as age-related macular degeneration and acute hearing loss. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of rheohemapheresis on the basic complement pathways. PATIENTS AND METHODS 32 patients were treated with rheohemapheresis, including 16 patients (10 men and 6 women) for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), mean age 69.7 ± 6.06 years (range 62-87 years) and 16 patients (11 men and 5 women) aged 56.4 ± 11.5 (range 34-73 years) for acute hearing loss. RESULTS Rheohemapheresis led to a significant drop of all three complement-activation pathways in both groups of patients. Moreover, complement factor H was also reduced. CONCLUSION The observed reduction in all three basic complement activation pathways after rheohemapheresis could be clinically important. The search continues both to find substances which influence complement systems and to develop more effective new drugs that require less frequent administration and that provide improved intraocular therapy for AMD patients.

Long-Term Outcomes of Rheohaemapheresis in the Treatment of Dry Form of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose. Determining long-term effects of rheohaemapheresis on the dry form of age-related macular degeneration. Methods. This study evaluates 19 patients, average age of 67.6 years, treated with rheohaemapheresis and 18 patients, average age of 72.8 years, comprising the control group. Minimum follow up period was 3.5 years. Each treated patient received a series of 8 sessions of rheohaemapheresis of 1.5 plasma volumes within 10 weeks. We measured the drusenoid pigment epithelium detachment (DPED), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), electroretinography (ERG), and rheological parameters. Results. In the treatment group, the baseline BCVA was 0.74 (0.36–1.0) 95% CI and BCVA after 3.5 years was 0.79 (0.41–1.0) 95% CI (P = 0.726). In the control group, the baseline BCVA was 0.71 (0.15–1.0) 95% CI and BCVA after 3.5 years decreased to 0.7 (0.32–0.87) 95% CI (P = 0.031). Baseline DPED was 6.78 ± 3.79 mm2; after 3.5 years, it decreased to 4.13 ± 3.84 mm2 (P < 0.001). In the control group, the baseline DPED was 4.09 ± 3.48 mm2; after 3.5 years, it increased to 6.69 ± 4.2 mm2 (P = 0.001). We noted increasing levels of positive wave peaking at 50 milliseconds (P50) after treatment (P = 0.022) and a stable amplitude of photopic responses of treated patients. Conclusion. Over the long term, rheohaemapheresis reduced the DPED, improved the function of photoreceptors, and prevented the decline of BCVA.

Reduction in the drusenoid retinal pigment epithelium detachment area in the dry form of age‐related macular degeneration 2.5 years after rheohemapheresis

Editor, W e have read with great interest the extensive review article concerning the use of colour Doppler imaging (CDI) in ocular blood flow research (Stalmans et al. 2011). CDI had been used in numerous studies concerning ocular and orbital blood flow characteristics in healthy and diseased subjects; however, there had always been a problem when comparing the results among studies because of the use of different methods of measurement. Therefore, we agree with the authors about the necessity to standardize the methods of CDI assessment of ocular blood flow parameters. When formulating a standard of measurement, it may be optimal to choose a method that provides the highest reproducibility to obtain consistent quality of testing and reporting. In that sense, we would like to comment on the effect of posture of measurement during CDI measurement. Patient’s posture affects ocular circulation. The effect of body posture to the ocular blood flow had been reported using various methods of ocular blood flow measurement including CDI (Evans et al. 1999; Kaeser et al. 2005; Feke & Pasquale 2008). Nagahara et al. (2002) described a CDI apparatus that allows measurement of ocular blood flow parameters while the patient is seated. We have been using this method successfully to evaluate blood flow characteristics in normal subjects, as well as in patients with ocular pathology. We would like to address some of the positive aspects of this method of measurement:

The importance of rheological parameters in the therapy of the dry form of age-related macular degeneration with rheohaemapheresis

To date, rheological treatment is the only chance to control the advanced dry form of age-related macular degeneration and arrest its progression to legal blindness. Rheohaemapheresis can change the main rheological parameters, blood and plasma viscosity, as well as change erythrocyte aggregability, improve erythrocyte flexibility and lead to substantial improvement when other methods of therapy fail. In this study, we describe changes in the levels of rheological efficacy indicators after rheohaemapheresis and their clinical significance in the dry form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Seventy-two patients with AMD were randomised; 34 controls, and 38 patients were treated with rheohaemapheresis (separator Cobe Spectra + Evaflux filter). After the procedures, α2-macroglobulin levels decreased by approximately 58%, fibrinogen by approximately 65%, IgM by approximately 67%, LDL cholesterol by approximately 71%, apolipoprotein B by approximately 65%, and lipoprotein (a) by approximately 42%. These decreases correspond with a decrease in blood and plasma viscosity (14/12%), clinical improvement (arrest of disease progression, even visual improvement in some cases), and heretofore-unreported improvement (even reattachment) of drusen retinal pigment epithelium detachment. Our modification of rheohaemapheresis is safe (5.4% of patients experienced clinically insignificant side effects).

Cost and effectiveness of therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration in routine clinical practice.

Purpose: Evaluation of the cost and effectiveness of therapy for patients with the wet form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in routine clinical practice. Methods: A retrospective multicentre evaluation of changes in the best-corrected visual acuity in applied kinds of therapy and a comparison with the cost of individual therapeutic procedures. Results: An overall total of 788 eyes of 763 patients with an average age of 73.2 ± 8.6 years was evaluated for a 1-year minimum period. In the ranibizumab and pegaptanib therapy groups, a reduction of 1.3 letters (p = 0.303) and 1.4 letters (p = 0.197) was found, respectively. In the group of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin, a reduction of 5.2 letters was achieved (p < 0.001). Under the conditions of routine practice in the Czech Republic, the annual cost is highest (EUR 5,467.63/patient) in patients with pegaptanib therapy. The annual cost in patients with ranibizumab therapy is lower by EUR 1,220.16. The cost is nearly half (EUR 2,783.65) in the group treated with PDT with verteporfin. Conclusion: An initiation of AMD therapy by ranibizumab is cost-effective as compared to pegaptanib. Both ranibizumab and pegaptanib are significantly more efficient as compared to PDT with verteporfin. Therapy with ranibizumab and pegaptanib, as compared to PDT with verteporfin, prevents the loss of 1 line of vision on the ETDRS chart for EUR 1,225.98 and 2,286.18, respectively.

Preservation of the Photoreceptor Inner/Outer Segment Junction in Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treated by Rheohemapheresis

Aim. To evaluate the long-term effect of rheohemapheresis (RHF) treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) on photoreceptor IS/OS junction status. Methods. In our study, we followed 24 patients with dry AMD and drusenoid retinal pigment epithelium detachment (DPED) for a period of more than 2.5 years. Twelve patients (22 eyes) were treated by RHF and 12 controls (18 eyes) were randomized. The treated group underwent 8 RHF standardized procedures. We evaluated best-corrected visual acuity, IS/OS junction status (SD OCT), and macular function (multifocal electroretinography) at baseline and at 2.5-year follow-up. Results. RHF caused a decrease of whole-blood viscosity/plasma viscosity at about 15/12%. BCVA of treated patients increased insignificantly (P = 0.187) from median 74.0 letters (56.2 to 81.3 letters) to median 79.0 letters (57.3 to 83.4 letters), but it decreased significantly from 74.0 letters (25.2 to 82.6 letters) to 72.5 letters (23.4 to 83.1 letters) in the control group (P = 0.041). The mfERG responses in the region of eccentricity between 1.8° and 7° were significantly higher in treated patients (P = 0.04). Conclusions. RHF contributed to sparing of photoreceptor IS/OS junction integrity in the fovea, which is assumed to be a predictive factor for preservation of visual acuity.

Prognostic Factors of Early Morphological Response to Treatment with Ranibizumab in Patients with Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Aim. To assess the significance of age, gender, baseline best corrected visual acuity, baseline macula thickness, and type and size of choroidal neovascularization in early morphological therapeutic response to ranibizumab treatment in patients with the wet form of age-related macular degeneration. Methods. From 09/2008 to 06/2013 we evaluated 1153 newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve patients treated with ranibizumab. Based on the morphological findings in the macula following the initial 3 injections of ranibizumab, the patients were divided into two groups based on active and inactive choroidal neovascularization. Results. After the initial 3 injections of ranibizumab, we examined the sample of 841 eyes with active CNV and 312 eyes with inactive CNV. In the inactive group, we found a statistically higher proportion of occult CNV (P < 0.001) and lower incidence of CNV greater than 5DA (P < 0.001) compared with the active group. We found no statistically significant difference in age, gender, baseline best corrected visual acuity, or baseline macula thickness between the inactive and active groups. Conclusion. Occult CNV and CNV smaller than 5DA are optimistic factors for a better morphological therapeutic response at the beginning of ranibizumab treatment.

Effects of treatment change in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration; Results from the Czech National Registry

AIMS To determine the effectiveness of second line treatments in patients with neovascular AMD who did not respond adequately to primary treatment. METHODS Retrospective, multicentre assessment. The frequency of primary treatment failure and outcomes of subsequent secondary treatment were assessed according to the type of primary treatment, type of CNV and change in BCVA over a 12 month period. RESULTS At the time of assessment 750 entries (750 treated eyes, 725 treated patients) had follow-up longer than 12 months. A treatment change required 7.7% subjects treated with ranibizumab, 20.5% with pegaptanib and 22% with PDT and verteporfin. Average BCVA of all patients at the beginning of primary treatment was 50.7 ± 3 letters and 43 ± 3.5 letters in 12(th) month (P<0.001). The mean decrease in BCVA was 7.7 ± 0.6 letters during the first 6 months of observation. During the next 6 months, no significant change occurred. The change of primary therapy was required on average after 6.5 ± 2.1 months. CONCLUSION BCVA loss was the most significantly decelerated in patients who received ranibizumab as a secondary therapy following unsuccessful treatment with pegaptanib sodium.