Elevated Plasma Pentraxin 3 and Its Association with Retinal Vein Occlusion

PURPOSE: To evaluate plasma pentraxin 3 (PTX3) in patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO), and investigate the possibility of its role as a predictive biomarker. METHODS: Nested case-control study. The study included 57 patients with RVO and 45 age- and gender-matched subjects without RVO as controls. Plasma PTX3 and C-reactive protein concentration were measured in both groups a posteriori from frozen samples by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. RESULTS: The measured PTX3 value for the RVO group was 1,508 +/- 1,183 pg/mL (mean +/- standard deviation) and 833 +/- 422 pg/mL for the controls (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in PTX3 levels between patients with central retinal vein occlusion and branched retinal vein occlusion (1,468 +/- 1,300 vs. 1,533 +/- 1,121 pg/mL; p = 0.818). CONCLUSIONS: Our data seems to support the role of chronic inflammation and ischemia in the development of RVO. It is possible that PTX3 can be used as a diagnostic biomarker of RVO.

The Usefulness of External Bandage Suture for Management of Bleb after Trabeculectomy with Mitomycin C

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of external bandage suture for bleb-related management that follows trabeculectomy with mitomycin C. METHODS: External bandage sutures were performed on 10 patients having hypotony maculopathy, persistent low intraocular pressure (IOP) caused by either hyperfiltration or focal leakage, or a persisting large bleb caused by hyperfiltration and who received trabeculectomy using mitomycin C as an adjuvant treatment. The changes in IOP measured before and 4 weeks after the procedure along with complication incidences were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean IOP 4 weeks after the procedure compared with the mean IOP prior to the procedure increased from 5.8 +/- 2.0 mm Hg (3.0-9.0 mm Hg) to 14.1 +/- 8.5 mm Hg (4.0-32.0 mm Hg), with statistical significance (p = 0.008). After the procedure, improvement in visual acuity was observed but without statistical significance. One patient had persistent focal leakage from an avascular bleb and conjunctival advancement with removal of the avascular conjunctiva was performed. CONCLUSIONS: An external bandage suture can be a good alternative for correction of post-trabeculectomy hypotony and severe chemosis with minimal effect on blebs while correcting focal leakage and hyperfiltration.