Norihito Doi

Spontaneous closure of traumatic macular hole

PURPOSE To report eight cases of spontaneous closure of traumatic macular hole. DESIGN Consecutive observational case series. PATIENTS AND METHODS In a consecutive series of 18 eyes of 18 patients with traumatic macular hole, eight patients achieved spontaneous closure of traumatic macular hole. Clinical records of the eight eyes of eight patients were reviewed, together with the results of optical coherence tomography performed in three eyes. RESULTS All eight patients with spontaneous closure of traumatic macular hole were males, with a mean age of 14.6 years (range, 11-21 years). The major cause of blunt trauma was sports-related accidents. Six eyes developed visual symptoms immediately after trauma and two eyes 10 to 12 days later. In all eight eyes, contact lens biomicroscopy revealed a small, full-thickness macular hole not complicated by epiretinal membrane, cuff of subretinal fluid, or posterior vitreous detachment. The macular hole closed spontaneously 1 week to 4 months after trauma. All eight eyes had visual acuity improvement with the final best-corrected visual acuity of 0.5 or better in four (50%) eyes. Optical coherence tomography in three eyes revealed two distinct abnormalities. Two eyes presented with acute foveal dehiscence without involvement of the posterior vitreous cortex. The remaining eye showed at presentation perifoveal vitreous detachment with residual vitreous adhesion to the edge of updrawn fovea and developed release of the vitreofoveal adhesion at the time of hole closure. CONCLUSIONS Spontaneous closure of traumatic macular hole is not uncommon. An observation for a period of up to four months may be a management of choice for traumatic macular hole. There may be clinically and pathogenetically two distinct mechanisms of traumatic macular formation; one type that causes immediate visual loss due to primary dehiscence of the fovea, and the other type that leads to delayed visual loss due to dehiscence of the fovea secondary to persistent vitreofoveal adhesion.

Posturing time after macular hole surgery modified by optical coherence tomography images: a pilot study.

PURPOSE To see the early postoperative stage of macular hole (MH) surgery and to distinguish eyes needing prolonged posturing from those that do not use Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT). DESIGN Interventional case series. METHODS Sixteen eyes of 15 patients with MH underwent the protocol at Kagoshima University Hospital. After the pars plana vitrectomy with 16% SF(6) gas tamponade followed by posturing, the eyes were examined by FD OCT from 3 hours to the day after surgery. After MH closure was confirmed, posturing was stopped. Follow-up was performed for 4 months or longer. The main outcome measures included time and OCT finding of MH closure after surgery. RESULTS On the day after surgery, the macula could be examined by FD-OCT in 13 of 16 eyes; 10 eyes had a closed MH and 3 had an unclosed MH. At day 2, 2 of the 3 eyes with unclosed MHs on day 1 demonstrated a closed MH. Posturing continued for 8 days in 4 eyes whose MH closure was not confirmed. The MH was closed in all eyes within 1 month. FD-OCT showed bridge formation of the neural retina in 9 eyes and simple closure in 3 eyes within 7 days. At 1 month, 12 eyes showed simple closure and 4 eyes showed bridge formation. Among 9 eyes with bridge formation within 7 days, 6 eyes had changed to simple closure at 1 month. CONCLUSIONS FD-OCT enabled confirmation of MH closure the day after surgery even in gas-filled eyes. This imaging method may be a good indicator to determine when to stop posturing for each patient.

Vitreomacular adhesion and the defect in posterior vitreous cortex visualized by triamcinolone-assisted vitrectomy

Purpose: To study the vitreomacular adhesion and the contractile force of posterior hyaloid, which are shown in triamcinolone acetonide (TA)-assisted pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). Design: Interventional case series. Methods: Twenty-eight eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME) without posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) received TA-assisted PPV. Surgical PVD was performed by an aspiration of vitrectomy probe, and the dynamic changes of posterior vitreous cortex and residual vitreous cortex were evaluated. Results: A premacular defect was formed in the detached posterior vitreous cortex during surgical PVD in 27 of 28 eyes. Immediately thereafter, the small defect expanded into a large hole in the detached posterior vitreous cortex in all cases. A residual vitreous cortex was left on the macula in 22 eyes. Conclusions: These observations demonstrate a firm vitreoretinal adhesion in the central macula and suggest that the enlargement of the defect of posterior vitreous cortex may be extrusion of vitreous out through the premacular dehiscence into the preretinal space, or a tangentially contractile force may exist in the posterior vitreous cortex. Both macular adhesion and the traction of vitreous cortex might contribute to the pathogenesis of DME and other vitreomacular disease.

Postsurgical evaluation of idiopathic vitreomacular traction syndrome by optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE To report a case of idiopathic vitreomacular traction syndrome with preoperative and postoperative evaluation by optical coherence tomography. DESIGN Interventional case report. METHODS A 62-year-old woman presented with blurred vision in the left eye because of idiopathic vitreomacular traction syndrome, and she underwent a pars plana vitrectomy. Optical coherence tomography was performed before and after surgery. RESULTS Preoperative optical coherence tomography, right eye, revealed residual adhesion of incomplete posterior vitreous detachment and edematous, thickened outer retina in the macula. A successful vitrectomy relieved vitreoretinal traction with nearly complete resolution of cystoid macular edema within 1 month after surgery, followed in subsequent months by gradual foveal depression resembling a lamellar macular hole. Resolution of subretinal serous fluid was delayed with complete disappearance, some 12 months after surgery, which correlated with a gradual improvement in visual acuity. CONCLUSION Optical coherence tomography provides a sensitive anatomical evaluation of vitreomacular traction syndrome. Reorganization of retinal tissue after surgical intervention for vitreoretinal traction may be slower than is apparent from conventional examinations.

Novel mutation at the initiation codon in the Norrie disease gene in two Japanese families

We have identified a new mutation of Norrie disease (ND) gene in two Japanese males from unrelated families; they showed typical ocular features of ND but no mental retardation or hearing impairment. A mutation was found in both patients at the initation codon of exon 2 of the ND gene (ATG to GTG), with otherwise normal nucleotide sequences. Their mothers had the normal and mutant types of the gene, which was expected for heterozygotes of the disease. The mutation of the initiation codon would cause the failure of ND gene expression or a defect in translation thereby truncating the amino terminus of ND protein. In view of the rarity and marked heterogeneity of mutations in the ND gene, the present apparently unrelated Japanese families who have lived in the same area for over two centuries presumably share the origin of the mutation.

Results of Visual Acuity and Foveal Thickness in Diabetic Macular Edema after Vitrectomy

PurposeTo report results of an investigation of visual acuity (VA) and foveal thickness in diabetic macular edema (DME) patients after vitrectomy.MethodsA retrospective study was performed of the records of 47 patients (61 eyes) who received pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for DME. All eyes were followed up for over 6 months (mean, 24.8 months; range, 6–60 months). VA and foveal thickness evaluated by optical coherence tomography were reviewed preoperatively and postoperatively.ResultsTwenty-four-month follow-up data were available for 46 of the 61 eyes (75%). VA at the final examination had improved by 0.2 log units or more in 34 of the 61 eyes (56%), remained unchanged in 21 eyes (34%), and worsened in six eyes (10%). Mean foveal thickness decreased by more than 20% of the preoperative value in 50 of the 61 eyes (82%), remained unchanged in ten eyes (16%), and increased by more than 20% in one eye (2%) at the final examination. Postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at both 12 and 24 months was significantly better than preoperative BCVA (P < 0.0001). Foveal thickness at 3 months or later significantly decreased from the preoperative value (P < 0.0001), but remained unchanged in comparison with postoperative 12 months and 24 months values (P = 0.19). Preoperative VA and presence of cystoid macular edema (CME) were independently associated with final visual acuity (P = 0.001).ConclusionsPPV for DME effectively improved VA and reduced foveal thickness for a longer postoperative period. Better preoperative VA was associated with better final postoperative VA. The eyes without CME tended to have better final postoperative VA. Jpn J Ophthalmol 2007;51:204–209

Stromal-Derived Factor-1 and Inflammatory Cytokines in Retinal Vein Occlusion

Purpose: To identify the roles of stromal-derived factor (SDF-1) and inflammatory cytokines in retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Methods: Samples were collected by vitrectomy and the levels of SDF-1, vascular endothelial growth factor, and inflammatory cytokines (interleukins [IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70]; tumor necrosis factor-α) were measured in 20 eyes with RVO, and 9 eyes with epiretinal membrane served as negative controls. Four eyes with inflammatory diseases were also investigated. Results: SDF-1 levels in active RVO (A-RVO; 4 eyes with iris neovascularization) were significantly higher than those in quiescent RVO (Q-RVO; 16 eyes without iris neovascularization) and the negative controls (p <. 01), whereas there were no significant difference between the Q-RVO and the negative controls. There were no significant correlations between the concentrations of SDF-1 and other cytokines. Conclusions: Elevation of intravitreous SDF-1 levels in A-RVO but not Q-RVO suggested a pivotal role of SDF-1 in angiogenic changes during RVO.

Complications associated with vortex vein damage in scleral buckling surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

PURPOSE To further understand postoperative complications after vortex vein damage during scleral buckling surgery. METHODS The records of 34 patients (34 eyes) with vortex vein damage during scleral buckling surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment were reviewed and compared with the records of 410 eyes undergoing similar surgery without vortex vein damage. RESULTS Postoperative complications were noted in 16 eyes (47%) of the damaged vortex vein group. The incidence of choroidal detachment, vitreous opacities, intraocular pressure elevation, and vitreous hemorrhage were 27%, 18%, 9%, and 6%, respectively, with a higher incidence than in the group without vortex vein damage. Other complications included development of epiretinal membrane (9%), subretinal hemorrhage (3%), and anterior segment ischemia (3%). Serous choroidal detachment occurred in the early postoperative days and subsided within 3 weeks. Vitreous opacification became marked in the later periods and continued for 2 months or longer. The incidence of postoperative choroidal detachment in the vortex vein damage group was related to the patients age (P = .002) and the cutting of the vortex veins (P = .048), but was not related to preoperative conditions of retinal detachment or the number of vortex veins damaged. All the eyes except one achieved retinal reattachment after initial surgery. CONCLUSIONS Choroidal detachment and vitreous opacity are common after scleral buckling surgery with vortex vein damage. Although intervention of the vortex veins during scleral buckling surgery is acceptable when performing otherwise difficult to achieve ample scleral indentation, it should be minimized to avoid increased incidence of postoperative complications.

Macular Hole Surgery-Associated Peripheral Visual Field Loss

To examine in more detail the peripheral visual field loss after macular hole surgery, we reviewed a series of 38 consecutive patients (44 eyes) with idiopathic macular hole who underwent vitrectomy and fluid-gas exchange. Ten (22.7%) eyes of 9 patients developed peripheral visual field loss shortly after successful surgery. This complication was characterized by mild to moderate wedge-shaped visual field loss that predominantly affected the inferotemporal periphery. Of these 9 patients, 2 complained of peripheral visual field loss, and the 7 others remained asymptomatic. The peripheral visual field loss remained unchanged for a mean follow-up of 18.5 months, except in one case of complete recovery. The thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer was measured postoperatively to determine whether any damage to the optic nerve head had occurred during surgery. The information obtained in this study did not provide conclusive evidence for the understanding of the pathomechanism of the macular hole surgery-associated visual field loss. Peripheral visual field defect after otherwise uneventful surgery for idiopathic macular hole is probably not uncommon. This complication is variable in its severity and is usually permanent. Whether it is caused by any surgical trauma to the optic nerve head remains to be elucidated.

Recurrence of Diabetic Macular Edema After Intravitreous Injection of Triamcinolone Following Vitrectomy

PurposeTo evaluate the effects of intravitreous triamcinolone acetonide (TA) after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for diabetic macular edema (DME).MethodsWe studied a prospective interventional case series. TA was injected intravitreously after PPV in 28 eyes (PPV+TA group). Eyes with DME that met the same criteria and had been treated with PPV alone (29 eyes) were used as controls. The best-corrected visual acuity (VA) and foveal thickness determined by optical coherence tomography were followed up for over 12 months in both groups. Chronological changes of VA and foveal thickness between the groups were evaluated.ResultsIn the PPV+TA group, VA had improved at 1 month, but worsened after 3 months. Improvement of foveal thickness was found until 3 months, but not after 6 months. In controls, both VA and foveal thickness continued to improve. The VA of the PPV+TA group was significantly better than that of the controls at 1 and 3 months (P = 0.007 and 0.015, respectively). The foveal thickness of the PPV+TA group was significantly less than that of controls at 1 month (P = 0.0004). These differences became insignificant thereafter, and foveal thickness became significantly worse in the PPV+TA group than in the controls at 12 months (P = 0.0002).ConclusionAlthough adjunctive use of TA after PPV for DME improved VA and foveal thickness, the effect was transient and foveal thickness increased significantly compared with the PPV alone group at 12 months postoperatively. Jpn J Ophthalmol 2007;51:278–284 @ Japanese Ophthalmological Society 2007