Visual impairment and blindness due to retinitis pigmentosa in India: 15-year follow-up of the Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease Study cohort

Purpose: To assess the incidence, visual impairment, and blindness due to retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in a rural southern Indian cohort. Methods: This is a population?based longitudinal cohort study of participants with RP from the Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease Study (APEDS) cohorts I and III, respectively. The study included participants with RP of APEDS I who were followed until APEDS III. Their demographic data along with ocular features, fundus photographs, and visual fields (Humphrey) were collected. Descriptive statistics using mean ± standard deviation with interquartile range (IQR) were calculated. The main outcome measures were RP incidence, visual impairment, and blindness as per the World Health Organization (WHO) definitions. Results: At baseline (APEDS I), 7771 participants residing in three rural areas were examined. There were nine participants with RP with a mean age at baseline of 47.33 ± 10.89 years (IQR: 39–55). There was a male preponderance (6:3), and the mean best?corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 18 eyes from nine participants with RP was 1.2 ± 0.72 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution (logMAR; IQR: 0.7–1.6). Over a mean follow?up duration of 15 years, 5395/7771 (69.4%) were re?examined, which included seven RP participants from APEDS 1. Additionally, two new participants with RP were identified; so, the overall incidence was 370/ million in 15 years (24.7/million per year). The mean BCVA of 14 eyes of seven participants with RP who were re?examined in APEDS III was 2.17 ± 0.56 logMAR (IQR: 1.8–2.6), and five of these seven participants with RP developed incident blindness during the follow?up period. Conclusion: RP is a prevalent disease in southern India that warrants appropriate strategies to prevent this condition.

Uncommon-parasitic-infection-isolated-intramuscular-cysticercosis-a-case-report

Human cysticercosis is caused by cysticercus cellulosae, larvae of a tapeworm, taenia solium. Cysticercois can involve any tissue in the body even it has maximum tendency towards neural tissue. The most common affected sites are central nervous system, subcutaneous tissue, eyes and muscles. An isolated case of intramuscular cysticercosis is a rare presentation. Here we present the case of a 35 year old female with a swelling on the posterolateral aspect of right arm and was diagnosed as myocysticercosis which was abuting to the extensor muscle that is triceps muscle on high resolution ultrasound and ct scan and it was managed by antihelminthic medications followed by surgical excision.

Diagnostic ability of superficial vascular density measured by optical coherence tomography angiography to differentiate high myopic eyes from eyes with primary open angle glaucoma

Purpose: To determine if high myopia and glaucoma can be differentiated based on the measurement of superficial vascular density in the peripapillary and macular areas by using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA). Methods: This prospective, observational, cross?sectional, comparative study was conducted on patients between 40 and 60 years of age diagnosed as primary open?angle glaucoma (POAG) or high myopia and compared with age?matched controls. The main outcome measures were the difference in SVD% in peripapillary and macular areas in POAG and high myopic eyes. Detailed ophthalmic examination and OCTA of the disc and peripapillary area and macula were performed. The SVD in each zone was calculated using ImageJ software and their difference were analyzed. Results: In total, 128 eyes of 70 patients were enrolled. Peripapillary SVD% in controls was 45.07 ± 3.44, 40.36 ± 8.27 in high myopia, and 31.80 ± 9.008 in POAG. The mean difference in peripapillary SVD% of POAG to control was ? 13.479, of POAG to high myopia was ?8.777 (both P < 0.001), and of high myopia to controls was ?4.701 (P = 0.012). Macular SVD% in controls was 27.30 ± 3.438, 22.33 ± 6.011 in high myopia, and 21.21 ± 5.598 in POAG. The mean difference in macular SVD% of POAG to controls was ?6.088, of high myopia to controls was ?4.965 (both P < 0.001), and of POAG to high myopia was ?1.122 (P = 0.984; not statistically significant). Conclusion: OCTA is a useful diagnostic tool in distinguishing glaucomatous and myopic eyes. The measurement of peripapillary SVD has a greater discriminatory ability than that of the macular area.

A Rare Case Of Peritonitis Due To Ulcerative Amoebic Colitis - Case Report

ULCERATIVE AMOEBIC COLITIS is a rare complication of amoebiasis that is associated with high mortality. Only 1 to 4 cases are seen per year in India & only few such cases have been reported. This requires early diagnosis and surgical intervention. We recently cared for a patient who presented with acute abdomen with history of Abdominal pain,Fever,Obstipation. Before presenting to our institution he was admitted at outside private hospital for 2 days in view of Left Diabetic FOOT with ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY with SEPSIS and was treated conservatively.On emergency exploration, MULTIPLE CAECAL PERFORATIONS with extensive necrosis of Ascending COLON were seen. SEGMENTAL RESECTION OF 5 CM TERMINAL ILEUM,CAECUM,ASCENDING COLON and 5 CM TRANSVERSE COLON was performed. Postoperative course was marked by septicaemia and multi-organ failure followed by death. This case report emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of acute AMOEBIC COLITIS and associated high mortality.

Updated guidelines for the management of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy: Recommendations from the Indian Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy Panel and the Vitreoretinal Society of India

In Asians, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) is becoming more widely recognized as a significant cause of exudative maculopathy. The previous set of Indian guidelines on the management of PCV were published in 2018, with a literature search updated up to November 2015. As the treatment of PCV evolves, retinal physicians must constantly modify their current practice. The current guidelines are based on the most up-to-date information on PCV and are an update to the previous set of guidelines. These guidelines were developed by a panel of Indian retinal experts under the aegis of the Vitreoretinal Society of India (VRSI), based on a comprehensive search and assessment of literature up to September 2021. The final guidelines i) provide the updated nomenclature in PCV; ii) discusses the newer diagnostic imaging features of PCV, especially in the absence of indocyanine green angiography (ICGA); and iii) recommends the best possible therapeutic approach in the management of PCV, including the choice of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents, treatment regimen, and the role of switching between the anti-VEGF agents. In the face of non-availability of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in India, we constructed practical recommendations on anti-VEGF monotherapy in PCV. The current updated recommendations would provide a broader framework to the treating retinal physician for the diagnosis and management of PCV for optimal therapeutic outcomes.

Predominant peripheral lesions in patients with diabetic retinopathy and its association with systemic comorbidities

Purpose: To determine the associations of predominant peripheral lesions (PPLs) with systemic comorbidities in individuals with diabetic retinopathy. Methods: This is a multicenter cross-sectional observational study conducted across three tertiary eye care centers in south India between January 2019 and July 2021. Ultra-widefield fundus images of consecutive patients with varying severity of diabetic retinopathy with data on systemic comorbidities were classified based on the presence or absence of PPL. Systemic comorbidities (hypertension, diabetic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, dyslipidemia, and anemia) were compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 879 participants (70.1% males) were included in the study, of which 443 (50.4%) patients had PPL. The mean age of the study participants was 56 ± 10 years, mean age of onset of diabetes was 41.24 ± 11.6 years, and mean duration of diabetes was 15.39 ± 7.6 years. The number of PPL increased with increasing severity of DR. Of all the systemic comorbidities analyzed, we found that coronary artery disease (CAD) had a significant association with PPL (Odds ratio [OR]-1.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12–2.55; P = 0.013) after adjusting for diabetic retinopathy severity, duration of diabetes, and age of onset of diabetes. Conclusion: The presence of PPL is a marker for coronary artery disease and early referral to cardiology is warranted.

Structural and functional phenotypic features and molecular analysis of Indian patients with Bietti crystalline dystrophy

Purpose: Bietti crystalline dystrophy (BCD) is a rare retinal dystrophy, uncommon in Indians. This study describes the various phenotypic features seen in the Indian population. Methods: In this retrospective, descriptive case series, records of patients with either clinical or molecular diagnosis of BCD from 2009 to 2020 were perused. Phenotypic and genotype information was collected and analyzed. Results: This study included 58 patients of BCD (31 males) aged 21–79 years (mean: 47 ± 14 years). The age at onset ranged from 7 to 41 years (mean: 28.8 ± 5.1 years). Vision ranged from 20/20 to counting fingers. There were 18 (31%) patients with stage 1 with crystals and mild retinochoroidal atrophy, 22 (38%) with stage 2 with atrophy extending beyond arcades, and 18 (31%) with absent crystals and extensive atrophy of stage 3. Choroidal neovascular membrane was seen in four patients. The optical coherence tomography showed retinochoroidal thinning (84.6%), outer retinal tubulations (71.8%), and paradoxical foveal thickening with interlaminar bridges (7.7%). Electrophysiology and visual fields showed reduced responses in advanced retinochoroidal changes. Molecular confirmation was available in five patients; five mutations were seen in the CYP4V2. Conclusion: A wide variation is seen in the phenotypic picture of BCD. A molecular diagnosis is helpful in differentiating from other retinal dystrophies. The OCT shows the peculiar feature of the interlaminar bridge in early cases with photoreceptor loss. Further investigations into this OCT feature may provide insights into the pathogenesis of BCD. A genotype–phenotype correlation could not be done.

Absence of Musculocutaneous Nerve: A Rare Anatomical Variation

Neural variation of the brachium constitutes a significant anatomical and clinical entity. The absence of Musculocutaneous Nerve is occasional in humans and accordingly there may be unforeseen clinical implication regarding the atypical innervations of musculature otherwise supplied by the Musculocutaneous Nerve. The present study is an absence of Musculocutaneous nerve observed during our routine educational dissection, where the lateral cord of brachial plexus took over the area of supply of Musculocutaneous Nerve by giving both the muscular and sensory branches. Knowledge of these variations is important in surgeries and during the administration of regional anaesthesia near shoulder joint and upper arm.

Acute acquired comitant esotropia precipitated by excessive near work during the COVID-19-induced home confinement

Purpose: To evaluate the causes of acute acquired comitant esotropia (AACE) in young adults and children in the setting of COVID?19?induced home confinement. Methods: A retrospective, clinical study of all patients, who presented to the Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus services of a tertiary eye care center in South India from August 2020 to January 2021 during the COVID?19 pandemic, with acute?onset, comitant esotropia. Results: 11 (73.3%) of the total 15 patients were students, above 10 years and with a mean age of 16.8 years. 12 patients (80%) had more than 8 hours of near activity a day with a mean duration of 8.6 hours per day. The most common near activity was online classes, followed by job?related work and mobile games, and 86.7% used smartphones for near work. The average esotropia was 22.73 prism diopter (PD) for distance and 18.73 PD for near. Majority (66.6%) had hyperopia with basic or divergence insufficiency esotropia, and the remaining 33.3% had myopia and fitted in to the Bielschowsky type AACE. There was no precipitating event other than sustained near work in all, except in one patient who also had fever prior to the onset of esotropia. Conclusion: The habit of long?time and sustained near work, especially on smartphones, may increase the risk of inducement of AACE

Can photoscreening effectively detect amblyogenic risk factors in children with neurodevelopmental disability?

Purpose: To analyze whether photoscreening can effectively detect amblyogenic risk factors in children with neurodevelopmental disability. Methods: A prospective study of 52 children attending a special school for children with neurodevelopmental disability from December 2017 to May 2018. All were initially tested with a photoscreening device: Welch Allyn® Spot® Vision Screener: model VS100 (Spot®) and further evaluated at a later date by a pediatric ophthalmologist, with a complete ocular evaluation including squint assessment, cycloplegic retinoscopy, and dilated fundus examination. The key parameters studied were demographic features, type of neurodevelopmental disability, refraction, ocular alignment, media clarity, any other ocular morbidity, and time taken for examination. The presence of amblyogenic risk factors (ARF) was analyzed as per the 2013 guidelines of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Results: The mean age was 10.5 years (range: 1–17.5 years). Males (73.1%) outnumbered females (26.9%). The most common neurodevelopmental disability was cerebral palsy. Simple myopic astigmatism was the most common type of refractive error. Presence of ARF in our study was 73.1%. The sensitivity and specificity of photoscreening in detecting ARF were 96.5% and 63.61%, respectively, with a positive predictive value of 80% and negative predictive value of 92.31%. The predictive ability of photoscreening was 79.9% as per the area under curve. The average time taken for photoscreening was less than 60 s. Conclusion: Photoscreening can detect ARF with high sensitivity and reasonable specificity and is a handy, useful, and time?saving tool in screening children with neurodevelopmental disability.

Management of pseudo tumour in haemophilia patients

A hemophilic pseudotumor is one of the rare complications of hemophilia that results from repetitive bleeding, forming an expanding destructive encapsulated hematoma and necrosed tissue. It has a considerable amount of morbidity. These have become rare over the years with better treatment modalities like factor replacement. Presently, excision is the preferred treatment by many authors. There are instances where surgical excision is not feasible. In such situations, radiotherapy and arterial embolization should be considered either alone or as an adjunct to surgery. A 32 years old male patient, with severe hemophilia A diagnosed with an abdominal tumour 7 years ago during routine screening, that progressively grew to encompass the lower abdominal area. A 44 years old male patient with hemophilia A presented with slow growing swelling over the left gluteal region since, 10 years associated with ulceration and bleeding since, 3 days. The management of a patient with a haemophilic pseudo tumour is complex, with a high rate of potential complications. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice but can only be carried out by a multidisciplinary surgical team. The main postoperative complications are rebleed, infection, fistula and pathological fractures. Pelvic pseudo tumours can even become complicated by fistula formation to the large bowel and by obstruction of the ureters. Untreated pseudo tumours will ultimately destroy soft tissues, erode bone, and may produce neurovascular complications. The hemophilic pseudo tumour is a rare entity which is slow growing painless tumour, with few reports worldwide in the management of this rare complication.

Primary omental infarction: a report of a series of cases in an Indian tertiary care hospital

Primary omental infarction is a relatively rare and often presents as right sided abdominal pain. It is often diagnosed as appendicitis and is usually picked up intra-operatively, or - as often seen nowadays - on imaging. We describe a series of four cases of primary omental infarction that presented to us with varying clinical features. Three of them had a short history of right sided abdominal pain, whereas the fourth patient had a longer history of left sided abdominal pain. All 4 were managed operatively, with the fourth having presented with an intra-abdominal abscess that required laparotomy. Primary omental infarction is a diagnosis which must be considered in any case of acute abdomen. Cases diagnosed with certainty on imaging may be managed conservatively but must be followed up closely. Need for surgical intervention should be considered in select cases.

Lateral elongation of flat irregular pigment epithelial detachment: A novel optical coherence tomography biomarker in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy

Purpose: To explore novel Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) biomarkers and precursor lesions in Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy (PCV). Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 76 treatment na飗e fellow eyes of PCV. Focus was given to analyse the various morphological changes in the clinically unaffected fellow retina during the follow-up period. Results: 11 fellow eyes (14.47%) developed disease activity in the form of Sub Retinal Fluid (SRF) or Intra Retinal Fluid (IRF) within a mean follow-up of 17 months. All 11 eyes (100%) showed the presence of flat irregular pigment epithelial detachment (FIPED) and a peculiar property of lateral elongation of FIPED during disease activity. A positive correlation with the disease progression was found for the same (P < 0.0001). The mean horizontal dimension of the flat irregular PED at the enrolment was 1984 � 376u and the mean expansion of FIPED at SRF formation was 461 � 152u. ICG taken at the time of disease activity in the fellow eye revealed branching vascular network (BVN) in 9 (81.8%) eyes, polyps in 7 (63.6%) eyes, a combination of both in 5 (45.4%) eyes. Type one BVN with interconnecting channels showed faster disease progression than type two BVN. Eye tracking ICG illustrated that BVN corresponded to the FIPED in OCT and polypoidal lesions developed at the end of expanding FIPED. Conclusion: Flat irregular pigment epithelial detachment with its characteristic property of lateral elongation may be considered as a precursor lesion for PCV and as a novel OCT biomarker for the disease activity. Fellow eyes with FIPED need close monitoring to identify development of disease activity at the earliest.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit-based screening program for retinopathy of prematurity and its treatment in an Indian population

Purpose: The purpose was to study the incidence, risk factors, and anatomical outcomes after laser treatment in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried out. Infants admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of 12 referral hospitals between April 2016 and September 2017 were screened according to the latest Indian guidelines based on the International Classification of Retinopathy of Prematurity. Results: The incidence of ROP in 1648 eyes screened was 25.36% (418 eyes), out of which high-risk prethreshold ROP (type 1) was observed in 9.95% (164 eyes). Decreased hemoglobin (P < 0.001), oxygen requirement (P = 0.008), and number of blood transfusions (P = 0.037) were significant with type 1 than type 2 (low-risk prethreshold) ROP. Stages 1, 2, and 3 were observed in 82 (32.28%), 154 (60.62%), and 18 (7.08%) eyes, respectively. Aggressive posterior ROP (APROP) was observed in 20.73% eyes with type 1 ROP. Ten eyes showing APROP were treated at an early gestational age of 29 weeks. All infants with type 1 ROP were treated with laser photocoagulation only. Conclusion: One-fourth of the infants showed ROP and one-tenth needed laser photocoagulation, the outcome of which was excellent. Risk factors predisposing to ROP were anemia, high oxygen supplementation, increased number of blood transfusions, and septicemia. ROP screening in infants ?1700 g birth weight associated with various systemic risk factors may be beneficial in the Indian population.

A Rapid Microwave Method for Isolation of Genomic DNA and Identification of White Rot Fungi

A rapid, effective and efficient method to identify the innumerable white rot fungal strains is of utmost importance. Mycelia of the unknown as well as know isolates of WRF, after alternative washing with TE buffer and sterile water, were suspended in TE buffer. Fungi in solution were then exposed to microwave. The crude extract contained genomic DNA which was extracted and amplified using ITS primers for further identification. Based on sequencing results the identity of known cultures was confirmed, while the unknown cultures were identified as Clitopilus scyphoides (AGUM004, BankIt2098576 MH172163); Ganoderma rasinaceum (AGUM007, BankIt2098576 MH172163); Schizophyllum sp (KONA001 BankIt2098576 MH172164; AGUM011 BankIt2098576 MH172165 and AGUM021 BankIt2098576 MH172166 respectively), Coprinellus disseminatus (BANG001, BankIt2098576 MH172167) and Lentinus squarrosulus (TAMI004, BankIt2098576 MH172167). The microwave method described for isolating quality DNA of WRF without further purification steps proved a novel method requiring less than ten minutes and minimized the chances of the presence of PCR inhibitors.

Comparative Study between Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology and Histopathologic Examination in Thyroid Enlargements - A Validation Study

Background:Swellings of thyroid are frequently encountered in surgical practice. Clinical evaluation helps in diagnosis but distinguishing early malignant lesions from benign goiters is difficult. Histopathological examination (HPE) is the only means by which precise diagnosis can be made. An alternative approach other than operative is called for since most swellings are benign. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a simple and safe procedure, carried out with minimum equipment and good patient compliance. This study aims at correlating the cytological diagnosis using Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology with the final histological diagnosis to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of smears. Thereby, its role in the preoperative diagnosis of thyroid swellings is assessed in planning proper management. Materials and Methods: Consenting patients with a thyroid swelling undergoing both FNAC and surgery with HPE of the resected thyroid gland were included in the study and analyzed. Results and Conclusions: A total of 62 patients were included in our study and were graded into categories based on the Bethesda system of thyroid reporting. The histopathological results were compared with respect to the incidence of malignancy in each category classified as per Bethesda System of reporting Thyroid Cytopathology. The predictive values of FNAC in the present study were sensitivity 41.2%, specificity 96.97%, predictive value of a positive result 87.5%, and negative predictive value 74.4%. In the present study, an overall accuracy rate of 77.6% was obtained. We concluded that the Bethesda system of reporting thyroid cytopathology is effective; however, risk of malignancy is significantly high in Bethesda II category and therefore warrants further workup including ultrasound-guided FNAC of suspicious foci.