Yoo-Ri Chung

CHOROIDAL THICKNESS IN PATIENTS WITH CENTRAL SEROUS CHORIORETINOPATHY: Assessment of Haller and Sattler Layers.

Purpose: To investigate subfoveal choroidal thickness and subanalyze Haller and Sattler layers in eyes with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), uninvolved fellow eyes, and eyes of healthy controls using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. Methods: Ocular findings and clinical features of 31 eyes with CSC, 24 fellow eyes and eyes of 30 healthy controls were analyzed retrospectively from October, 2014 to March, 2015. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was measured using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography, and the thicknesses of Haller and Sattler layers were analyzed. Results: Mean subfoveal choroidal thickness and mean thickness of Haller layer were significantly greater in CSC than in fellow eyes (P = 0.043 and P = 0.036, respectively) and in normal control eyes (P < 0.001 each), and those of fellow eyes in CSC patients were significantly thicker than those in normal control eyes (P = 0.018 and P = 0.017, respectively). The thickness of Sattler layer did not differ significantly among these groups (P = 0.519). Conclusion: Subfoveal choroidal thickness and the thickness of Haller layer were increased not only in affected but also in uninvolved fellow eyes of CSC patients. Nonvascular smooth muscle cells of the choroid may play a role in the pathophysiology of CSC, in response to increased sympathetic tone.

Clinical Experience of Interferon Alfa-2a Treatment for Refractory Uveitis in Behçet's Disease

Behçets disease (BD) involves multisystem vasculitis of unknown origin. Ocular manifestations of BD mostly include bilateral panuveitis and retinal vasculitis, which are very challenging to treat. Interferon alfa-2a (IFN) has been recently introduced for treating refractory Behçet uveitis, mainly in Germany and Turkey. Nonetheless, there is so far no consensus about the ideal treatment regimen of IFN for Behçet uveitis. We report our experience of IFN treatment in five Korean BD patients with refractory uveitis. All patients complained of oral ulcers; one patient had a positive pathergy test and 2 showed the presence of HLA-B51. Immunosuppressive agents used prior to IFN treatment included cyclosporine and methotrexate. The IFN treatment was commenced with a dose of 6-9 MIU/day for 7 days, adjusted according to individual ocular manifestations, tapered down to 3 MIU three times in a week, and then discontinued. All patients showed positive response to IFN treatment; 50% of them showed complete response without additional major ocular inflammation during the follow-up period. Other BD symptoms also improved after IFN treatment in most cases. After treatment, the relapse rate and the required dose of oral corticosteroid were decreased in most cases, showing a significant steroid-sparing effect. However, the visual acuity was not improved in most cases due to irreversible macular sequelae. Despite the small sample size of this study, we suggest that, in Korean patients, IFN is an effective treatment modality for BD uveitis as was observed in German and Turkish patients.

Retinal artery occlusion in a healthy pregnant patient.

Purpose We report a case of branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) in a healthy pregnant woman. Methods A 29-year-old pregnant woman presented with decreased vision in her left eye. She had a pale retina with macular edema consistent with BRAO. An extensive workup was performed to determine an etiologic factor. All test results were within normal limits except for her factor VIII activity. Her visual acuity improved from finger counting to 20/30 over 2 months without any treatment. Results This case suggests that BRAO can occur in healthy patients without any systemic or ocular disorders. Conclusions BRAO can occur in healthy patients without any systemic or ocular disorders, despite an extensile evaluation.

Eyelid Schwannoma in a Korean Woman

Schwannoma is a benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor composed of a proliferation of Schwann cells. Schwannoma is well known to arise in the orbit, constituting 1% of orbital tumors. It occasionally occurs in the uveal tract, conjunctiva, or caruncle. Eyelid schwannoma is extremely uncommon, and has rarely been reported in the past. We herein describe a case of eyelid schwannoma in a 66-year-old Korean woman.

PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF DIPEPTIDYL PEPTIDASE-4 INHIBITORS ON PROGRESSION OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitors on the progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with Type 2 diabetes based on the DR severity scale. Methods: The medical records of 82 patients with Type 2 diabetes enrolled from 2005 to 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Fundus photographs were graded using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study methods. The associations between baseline risk factors and progression of DR were investigated. Results: Seven of 28 patients treated with DPP4 inhibitors and 26 of 54 treated with other hypoglycemic agents showed progression of retinopathy, defined as one or more steps on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study scale (P = 0.043). Only treatment with DPP4 inhibitors significantly reduced the progression of DR in patients after propensity score matching (P = 0.009). Treatment with DPP4 inhibitors was associated with a lower risk of DR progression (P = 0.011). Conclusion: Treatment with DPP4 inhibitors was the independent protective factor against the progression of DR, aside from improving glycemic control. This is the first study to show the benefits of DPP4 inhibitors in reducing DR progression, and provides encouraging preliminary data for further evaluation of DPP4 inhibitors in the progression of DR in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Central retinal vein occlusion in an otherwise healthy child.

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Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness And Vascular Diameter In Active And Resolved Central Serous Chorioretinopathy

Purpose: To determine the subfoveal choroidal thickness and analyze Hallers layer, Sattlers layer, and large choroidal vessel diameter in eyes with active central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) and after resolution of CSC. Methods: Ocular and clinical features of 32 eyes with CSC were analyzed retrospectively from October 2014 to September 2015. Subfoveal choroidal thickness and thicknesses of Hallers layer and Sattlers layer were measured in the active and resolved states. The diameter of the subfoveal choroidal hyporeflective lumen (i.e., the large choroidal vessel in Hallers layer) was also measured. Results: The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness, mean thickness of Hallers layer, and mean choroidal vessel diameter were significantly less after the resolution of CSC (P < 0.001). However, the thickness of Sattlers layer did not change after the resolution of CSC (P = 0.731). There were no significant differences among the different treatment modalities. Conclusion: After the resolution of CSC, the subfoveal choroidal thickness and thickness of Hallers layer declined, but the reduced diameter of subfoveal choroidal vessels accounted for only about half of the total thickness changes in the choroid. These results suggest that nonvascular smooth muscle cells might play a role in the thickening of the choroid during CSC and possibly in the pathogenesis and progression of CSC.

Hypertension as a risk factor for recurrent subretinal hemorrhage in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between hypertension and recurrent subretinal hemorrhage (SRH) in eyes with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). DESIGN Retrospective, comparative case series. PARTICIPANTS Thirty-eight eyes of 38 patients with PCV. METHODS Ocular findings and clinical features were analyzed retrospectively in patients with PCV enrolled from January 2011 to December 2013. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the presence of recurrent SRH after successful initial treatment (rebleeding vs nonrebleeding) and were subdivided into those with and without hypertension, based on history of hypertension, systolic blood pressure (SBP) >150 mm Hg. The relationship between hypertension and recurrent SRH was analyzed. RESULTS Thirty-eight patients (38 eyes) were included in this analysis. High SBP or history of hypertension was significantly more frequent in the rebleeding group than in the nonrebleeding group (p = 0.014). Subgroup analysis showed that mean time until recurrent SRH was significantly shorter in the hypertensive group than in the nonhypertensive group (p = 0.025). The cumulative incidence of recurrent SRH at 2 years was 43% in the hypertensive group and 20% in the nonhypertensive group. Cox regression after adjustment for age showed that hypertension was associated with a 3.9-fold greater risk of recurrent SRH (p = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS Recurrent SRH in patients with PCV was more common in hypertensive subjects. Undiagnosed hypertension should be considered when assessing the prognosis of patients with PCV.

Choroidal Thickness Indicates Subclinical Ocular and Systemic Inflammation in Eyes with Behçet Disease without Active Inflammation

Purpose To investigate whether subfoveal choroidal thickness, measured using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT), is an indicator of subclinical ocular or systemic inflammation in eyes with Behçet disease (BD) without active ocular inflammation. Methods A retrospective analysis was used to examine clinical features of non-uveitic patients with BD (NUBD group), patients with a previous history of Behçet uveitis in an inactive state (IUBD group), and healthy controls were evaluated from October 2014 to September 2015. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was measured using EDI-OCT. Results The NUBD group included 46 eyes in 24 patients; the IUBD group included 16 eyes in 11 patients; and the control group included 35 eyes in 23 individuals. The mean subfoveal choroidal thicknesses differed significantly among these groups. Choroidal thickness was significantly greater in the NUBD (310.5 ± 81.0 µm) than in the IUBD (263.1 ± 56.6 µm, p = 0.013) and control (256.9 ± 67.9 µm, p = 0.002) groups. The disease activity score was significantly higher in the NUBD than in the IUBD group (p < 0.001), while the use of cyclosporine was significantly associated with choroidal thickness in eyes with NUBD (p = 0.039). Conclusions Subfoveal choroidal thickness, as measured by EDI-OCT, may be a clinical indicator of subclinical ocular inflammation and systemic inflammation in BD patients without active ocular inflammation.