To characterise the baseline prevalence of subretinal fluid (SRF) and its effects on anatomical and visual acuity (VA) outcomes in diabetic macular oedema (DME) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO) following anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).This is a retrospective cohort study of 122 DME and 54 RVO patients who were initiated on anti-VEGF therapy with real-world variable dosing. The DME and RVO cohorts were subclassified based on the presence of SRF at presentation. Snellen VA was measured and converted to logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR). Changes in VA and central subfield thickness (CST) were assessed up to 24 months.SRF was present in 22% and 41% in DME and RVO patients, respectively. In the DME subcohort, eyes with SRF showed an improvement of 0.166 logMAR (1.7 Snellen chart lines) at 12 months and 0.251 logMAR (2.6 Snellen chart lines) at 24 months, which were significantly greater compared with those of the non-SRF group. A significantly greater reduction in CST was noted in the SRF eyes compared with the non-SRF eyes at 3 months and 1 month in the DME and RVO subcohorts, respectively.Baseline SRF is a good marker for a greater reduction in CST in both DME and RVO, but an improvement in VA associated with SRF may be only noted in DME.
The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has not been widely studied among children in Italy. ISTAT-2005 survey showed a prevalence of 10% of children treated with CAM. Most of other contributes were related to Northern populations. The aim of our study was to analyse the rate of CAM use in the children living in Piemonte compared to the children living in Calabria.Data were collected through a structural questionnaire administered to the parents of the children admitted to the pediatric department of the Regional Hospital in Torino, Catanzaro and Cosenza. The questionnaire included questions about the use of CAM and the demographic characteristics of the parents and the child responding.For the study 1156 questionnaires were distributed in total and 1,136 were analyzed. Overall the response rate was more than 98%. In Turin 43% of the children were treated also with CAM, in Cosenza and in Catanzaro 38% and 21%, respectively. The parents who used CAM for their children were more aged and with a higher education. In Turin homeopathy was used more, in the south of Italy phytotherapy was preferred. More acute respiratory diseases were the most frequent diseases treated with CAM. In the majority of cases CAM were prescribed by pediatricians. Most of the people preferred CAM for less side effects and the majority of them declared to be satisfied. Furthermore, this survey shows that parents use CAM as complementary rather than alternative to medicine.Our study remarks as the use of CAM is dramatically increased among the Italian children in the last years as well as in other countries. Pediatricians need to improve their knowledge about CAM in order to better manage parental attitude.
To describe and evaluate the efficacy of a novel technique, scleral needling (SN), for securing 23- and 25-gauge leaking sclerotomies in microincision vitrectomy surgery.A retrospective comparative review of consecutive cases of 23- and 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy performed by a single vitreoretinal surgeon before the introduction of the SN technique (pre-SN; November 2016 to January 2017) and after the introduction of the SN technique (post-SN; November 2017 to January 2018) was conducted. The SN technique was implemented as an alternative to suturing, using a 30-gauge needle inserted perpendicularly through the full thickness of the sclera adjacent to the scleral opening, with the needle then immediately removed and sclerotomy closure confirmed.A total of 203 eyes, 105 from pre-SN and 98 from post-SN, were included in the study. The number of eyes requiring suture closure was significantly reduced from 39% in the pre-SN group to 2% in the post-SN group (P < 0.001). The mean postoperative intraocular pressure and incidence of hypotony on Days 1 to 2, Days 3 to 20, and Days 21 to 50 was not significantly different between the pre-SN and post-SN groups. No major complications associated with the SN technique were noted during the study period.The SN technique is a safe and simple method for effectively securing leaking sclerotomies in microincision vitrectomy surgery.
The DRAIN STUDY evaluated a novel use of a 38-gauge Polytip® cannula for posteriorly trapped intraoperative subretinal fluid endo-drainage during pars plana vitrectomy in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Sixteen patients underwent this procedure, with an 81% single surgery success rate at 3 months postoperatively. Median visual acuity improved from 20/300 to 20/80. Two cases developed cystoid macular edema and epiretinal membrane. No postoperative residual subretinal fluid was observed. The 38-gauge cannula-based SRF drainage proved effective, offering an alternative to conventional methods for managing posteriorly trapped intraoperative subretinal fluid.
<b><i>Objective:</i></b> To evaluate the outcomes and complications of bilateral same-day intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This is a single-center, retrospective study that included 524 eyes of 262 patients who received concomitant bilateral intravitreal anti-VEGF injections in 2016 at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto. If any of the patients were receiving simultaneous bilateral injections on a regular basis prior to 2016, data pertaining to previous injections were also reviewed. Everyone received bevacizumab, ranibizumab, or aflibercept in an office setting. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 9,798 intravitreal anti-VEGF injections (4,899 bilateral injection sessions) were performed in 524 eyes of 262 patients. The average number of bilateral injection sessions per patient was 18.7 ± 14.1. Ranibizumab was the most commonly used anti-VEGF drug (83.8%). The incidence of endophthalmitis was 0.01%, and there were 2 episodes of acute intraocular inflammation among the 9,798 injections (0.02%). All 3 cases occurred after treatment with ranibizumab. There were 2 deaths (0.76%) due to nonvascular causes but no vascular related systemic adverse events were reported. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Same-day bilateral intravitreal anti-VEGF injections present a low rate of complications and are well tolerated by patients. This safe practice may reduce the burden on the health-care system and on the patients.
To compare foveal avascular zone (FAZ) geometric indices using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in pneumatic retinopexy (PnR) versus pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). FAZ morphology was assessed as a possible imaging feature of retinal displacement.This ALIGN post hoc analysis included primary fovea-off RRDs that underwent successful PnR or PPV, and performed OCTA, and fundus autofluorescence at (FAF) 3 months postoperatively at St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada. FAZ area (mm 2 ), axial ratio, circularity, and roundness were measured, and FAF images were assessed for retinal displacement.Seventy-two patients were included, 78% (56/72) were male mean age was 60 ± 9 years, and 60% (43/72) were phakic. Sixty-five percent (47/72) and 35% (25/72) underwent PnR and PPV, respectively. The mean baseline logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity was 1.49 ± 0.76. FAZ circularity was lower after PPV (0.629 ± 0.120) versus PnR (0.703 ± 0.122); P = 0.016. Sixty-six patients had gradable FAF images. Retinal displacement was present in 29% (19/66), 84.2% (16/19) of which had displacement in the macula. FAZ circularity was lower in eyes with displacement in the macula (0.613 ± 0.110) versus those without displacement (0.700 ± 0.124); P = 0.015. There was a moderate negative correlation between 12-month aniseikonia and FAZ circularity(r = -0.262; P = 0.041).FAZ circularity was lower after PPV and in eyes with retinal displacement in the macula. Circularity was negatively correlated with 12-month aniseikonia scores. FAZ circularity may be another imaging feature to consider postoperatively after RRD repair.
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