Role of vitreoretinal surgery in maximizing treatment outcome following complications after proton therapy for uveal melanoma.

PURPOSE: To assess the role of vitreoretinal surgery in maximizing treatment outcome following complications after proton therapy for uveal melanoma and to evaluate its safety. METHODS: Retrospective chart study on 21 patients (2% of a total of 1,005 treated by proton therapy between January 2003 and August 2007) who had developed a complication requiring vitreoretinal surgery. Mean/median total follow-up after irradiation was 43/43 months (range, 12-70 months). RESULTS: Indications for surgery included vitreous hemorrhage (n = 13), epimacular membrane (n = 5), rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (n = 1), combined vitreous hemorrhage with total serous retinal detachment (n = 1), and vitritis (n = 1). Mean/median interval for vitreoretinal surgery after irradiation was 21/20 months (range, 4-45 months), and mean/median follow-up after pars plana vitrectomy was 22/23 months (range, 2-56 months). Pars plana vitrectomy was combined with retinal photocoagulation (n = 5), air/gas (n = 5), or silicone oil tamponade (n = 1). Mean Snellen visual acuity was 20/200 (0-20/40) before and 20/100 (0-20/25) after pars plana vitrectomy. A transient postoperative rise in intraocular pressure was measured in seven patients. Four patients developed phthisis bulbi. CONCLUSION: Vitreoretinal surgery was efficient in maximizing treatment outcome after proton therapy, as it allowed a better oncologic follow-up. Pars plana vitrectomy permitted panretinal photocoagulation to avoid neovascular glaucoma or retinal detachment repair. Macular surgery improved visual acuity, especially in anterior melanoma, whereas repeated surgery may increase the risk of enucleation.

Surgical treatment of lamellar macular hole associated with epimacular membrane.

BACKGROUND: Although the surgical treatment of full-thickness macular hole is well established, the utility of pars plana vitrectomy in the treatment of lamellar macular hole (LMH) remains less clear. The purpose of the study is to report functional results of surgical treatment of LMH associated with epiretinal membrane. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of patients undergoing pars plana vitrectomy and peeling of epiretinal membrane and internal limiting membrane, with or without air or gas tamponade, for symptomatic LMH associated with epimacular membrane. RESULTS: Forty-five eyes of 44 patients were operated for LMH associated with epimacular membrane between May 2000 and July 2009. Pars plana vitrectomy and membrane peeling were combined with air or gas tamponade in 43 of 45 cases. Mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution best-corrected visual acuity improved from 0.4 preoperatively to 0.13 postoperatively (P < 0.0001). Improvement in visual acuity ranged from 0 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) lines to 8.9 ETDRS lines (mean, 2.65 ETDRS lines). Visual acuity improved by ≥ 1 ETDRS line(s) in 40 of 45 eyes (89%) and by ≥ 2 ETDRS lines in 26 of 45 eyes (58%) after the surgical procedure. No patient lost vision. CONCLUSION: This small retrospective study suggests that surgical treatment of LMH associated with epimacular membrane may improve visual acuity in symptomatic patients.

Occurrence of sectoral choroidal occlusive vasculopathy and retinal arteriolar embolization after superselective ophthalmic artery chemotherapy for advanced intraocular retinoblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Superselective ophthalmic artery chemotherapy (SOAC) has recently been proposed as an alternative to intravenous chemoreduction for advanced intraocular retinoblastoma. Preliminary results appear promising in terms of tumor control and eye conservation, but little is known regarding ocular toxicity and visual prognosis. In this study, we report on the vascular adverse effects observed in our initial cohort of 13 patients. METHODS: The charts of 13 consecutive patients with retinoblastoma who received a total of 30 injections (up to 3 injections of a single agent per patient at 3-week interval) of melphalan (0.35 mg/kg) in the ophthalmic artery between November 2008 and June 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. RetCam fundus photography and fluorescein angiography were performed at presentation and before each injection. Vision was assessed at the latest visit. RESULTS: Enucleation and external beam radiotherapy could be avoided in all cases but one, with a mean follow-up of 7 months. Sectoral choroidal occlusive vasculopathy leading to chorioretinal atrophy was observed temporally in 2 eyes (15%) 3 weeks to 6 weeks after the beginning of SOAC and retinal arteriolar emboli in 1 eye 2 weeks after injection. There was no stroke or other clinically significant systemic side effects except a perioperative transient spasm of the internal carotid artery in one patient. Vision ranged between 20/1600 and 20/32 depending on the status of the macula. CONCLUSION: Superselective ophthalmic artery chemotherapy was effective in all patients with no stroke or other systemic vascular complications. Unlike intravenous chemoreduction, SOAC is associated with potentially sight-threatening adverse effects, such as severe chorioretinal atrophy secondary to subacute choroidal occlusive vasculopathy or central retinal artery embolism, not to mention the risk of ophthalmic artery obstruction, which was not observed in this series. Further analysis of the risks and benefits of SOAC will define its role within the therapeutic arsenal. Meanwhile, we suggest that SOAC should be given in one eye only and restricted to advanced cases of retinoblastoma, as an alternative to enucleation and/or external beam radiotherapy.

Ultrastructural changes of the internal limiting membrane removed during indocyanine green assisted peeling versus conventional surgery for idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the histologic features of cellular retinal fragments on the internal limiting membrane (ILM) removed during idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane (MEM) peeling surgery with and without the aid of indocyanine green (ICG) diluted in 5% glucose. METHODS: ILM specimens removed from 88 eyes during idiopathic MEM surgery between 1995 and 2003 were reviewed retrospectively. Histologic analysis focused on the presence and characteristics of retinal fragments on the retinal surface of the ILM. Statistical analysis compared the results between group I (conventional surgery) and group II (ICG-assisted peeling). RESULTS: Seventy-one eyes underwent MEM surgery without the aid of ICG (group I) and seventeen underwent MEM ICG-assisted surgery (group II). The amount of Müller cell debris on the retinal surface of the ILM was more significant in the group I than in the group II (40.8 vs. 11.8; P = 0.024). Large fragments of Müller cells were more frequently observed in the group I (no ICG) than in the group II (ICG) (63.4 vs. 23.5%; P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The use of ICG diluted with 5% glucose in ILM removal during MEM surgery was associated with less retinal debris attached to the retinal face of the ILM compared with surgery in which ICG was not used.

Tearing and folding of the retinal internal limiting membrane associated with macular epiretinal membrane.

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical and histologic features of a particular form of macular epiretinal membrane. METHODS: The charts of all patients operated for macular epiretinal membrane by a single surgeon (E.H.B.) between June 2001 and January 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with macular epiretinal membrane associated with tearing and folding of the internal limiting membrane (ILM) were identified and the following parameters were recorded when available: age, gender, best-corrected visual acuity before and after vitrectomy; optical coherence tomography; pre-, intra-, and postoperative macular status; intraoperative staining by indocyanine green; histology. RESULTS: Twenty-three of 268 eyes (8.6%) with macular epiretinal membrane were associated with tearing and folding of the ILM, forming a whitish prominent band on the surface of the retina. The mean age of the patients was 68.6 years with a significant female predominance (78.3%). The vitreous was completely detached in 21 eyes. After surgical peeling, the mean visual gain was 3.2 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study lines. No recurrence was observed. CONCLUSION: Tearing and folding of the ILM was associated with macular epiretinal membranes in 8.6% of cases. The ILM was probably torn during posterior hyaloid detachment, but the pathogenesis has not been clearly elucidated. The surgeon should begin to peel the macular epiretinal membrane by grasping the folded ILM to ensure complete removal of the ILM together with the epiretinal membrane. The postoperative visual prognosis was good.

Peripapillary choroidal neovascularization associated with melanocytoma of the optic disc: a clinicopathologic case report.

BACKGROUND: Melanocytoma of the optic disc is a benign melanocytic tumor that rarely causes visual impairment. We report a case of a melanocytoma of the optic disc with a decreased vision related to a peripapillary choroidal neovascular membrane (PCNVM) that was successfully treated by submacular surgery. METHODS: A 45-year-old southern European patient had a melanocytoma of the optic disc in his left eye with vision of 20/100. Fluorescein angiography demonstrated a PCNVM impeding the fovea associated with a subretinal hemorrhage. RESULTS: The patient underwent a complete vitrectomy and removal of the PCNVM. Subsequently, the subretinal hemorrhage disappeared and visual acuity improved to 20/25. Visual acuity remained good for a period of 14 months' follow-up without any recurrence of neovascular membrane. CONCLUSIONS: Submacular surgery is a potentially effective treatment for large PCNVM associated with a melanocytoma of the optic disc.

Surgery for epimacular membrane: impact of retinal internal limiting membrane removal on functional outcome.

PURPOSE: To examine eyes that underwent vitrectomy and peeling of epimacular membrane and to correlate the functional results with the presence or absence of an internal limiting membrane (ILM) in the histologic specimens. METHODS: Seventy-one eyes underwent vitrectomy and peeling of an epimacular membrane. These membranes were examined with a transmission electron microscope. Best-corrected visual acuities were recorded before macular surgery, 1 month after surgery, and at the final examination and were compared between group 1 (ILM removed) and group 2 (ILM not removed). The age, gender, status of the lens preoperatively, type of epimacular membrane (idiopathic or secondary), intraoperative and postoperative complications, and elapsed time between vitrectomy and cataract operation were recorded. All 71 eyes were pseudophakic at the final examination. The mean follow-up was 21 months. RESULTS: Long segments of ILM were found in the specimens from 55 (77%) of the cases. Final visual acuities were better in group 1 (ILM removed) than in group 2 (ILM not removed, P = 0.004). The visual gain was 3.1 lines on the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart in group 1 and 0.9 lines in group 2. At the last examination, a recurrent epimacular membrane was observed in 5 (9%) eyes of group 1 and 9 (56%) eyes of group 2. CONCLUSION: ILM removal during surgery for epimacular membrane is associated with better final vision and a lower risk of recurrent epimacular membrane.

Management of giant retinal tears with vitrectomy, internal tamponade, and peripheral 360 degrees retinal photocoagulation.

PURPOSE: To determine the effectiveness of vitrectomy, internal tamponade, and peripheral 360 degrees retinal photocoagulation in the management of giant retinal tears (GRTs). PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen eyes of 18 consecutive patients with GRTs were operated on at Jules Gonin Eye Hospital between 1992 and 1999. None of them had previous vitreoretinal surgery. METHODS: Eyes in the series underwent pars plana vitrectomy, perfluorocarbon liquid and silicone oil (17 eyes) or gas (one eye) exchange, and retinopexy. Retinopexy was applied to the edges of the tear using photocoagulation, and it was extended over 360 degrees to the peripheral attached retina. No scleral buckle was placed, even if proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) was present. RESULTS: The GRT was 180 degrees or greater in seven eyes and 90 degrees to 180 degrees in 11 eyes. The lower edge of the GRT was located in an inferior quadrant in 15 eyes. PVR was grade A in seven eyes, grade B in eight eyes, and grade C in three eyes. In the last three eyes, PVR was anterior (C-A9, Patient 4) and posterior (C-P6 subretinal, Patient 11; C-P3, Patient 13). In 16 (88.8%) of the 18 eyes, the retina was successfully reattached after surgery, and silicone oil was removed after a mean period of 7.7 weeks. In the other two eyes, the retina remained detached or redetached despite the silicon oil tamponade. One of these two eyes underwent three further surgeries, but the retina did not reattach. The other eye was successfully reoperated on with an encircling and radial scleral buckle, and silicone oil was removed later. At the end of the follow-up, the retina was attached in 17 (94.4%) of the 18 eyes. The mean follow-up was 28.6 months (range, 4.5-73 months). CONCLUSIONS: The success rate of management of GRTs with vitrectomy, internal tamponade, and peripheral 360 degrees photocoagulation of the retina without scleral buckle is high. Photocoagulation of the peripheral retina over 360 degrees appears to decrease the risk of secondary peripheral retinal tears.

[Value of Lotmar interferometry with vision assessment for predicting visual acuity after surgery of epimacular membranes]. / Utilité de l'interférométrie au visomètre de Lotmar pour prédire l'acuité visuelle après chirurgie des membranes epimaculaires.

BACKGROUND: To determine the usefulness of preoperative Lotmar interferometry to predict visual acuity recovery after surgery for epimacular membrane. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1999 to 2001, thirty pseudophakic eyes that underwent surgery for removal of epimacular membrane were examined prospectively. Visual acuity (VA) was recorded with the ETDRS chart before surgery and 6 months or more after (mean follow-up: 7.5 months). Lotmar interferometry was performed before surgery and its result was compared with the VA measured after surgery. RESULTS: The mean preoperative VA was 0.4 - 3 (20/55). The Lotmar VA (mean: 0.5, 20/40) was lower than the final postoperative VA (mean: 0.66, 20/30), p < 0.001. The Lotmar VA was found within one ETDRS line of the final postoperative VA in 10 cases (33 %). The Lotmar VA was > 1 line lower than the final postoperative VA in 17 cases (57 %) and was 1 - 3 lines higher in 3 cases (10 %). CONCLUSIONS: Lotmar interferometry tends to underestimate the final postoperative VA after surgery for epimacular membrane. A low value does not allow any relevant prediction. A high value is interesting since the risk to have a false-positive is low.

Endogenous pneumococcal endophthalmitis followed by pneumococcal-induced uveitis.

BACKGROUND: We describe the case of a fulminant bilateral endophthalmitis occurring in a patient, who had 9 years earlier a splenectomy for an idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. HISTORY AND SIGNS: A 40-year-old woman, back from a trip to Morocco, presented with high fever, rapid decrease in visual acuity and loss of consciousness. Medical examination revealed a pneumococcal meningitis and bilateral endophthalmitis. THERAPY AND OUTCOME: Endophthalmitis was treated with local and intravitreal antibiotics injections (vancomycin and amikacin). Repeated parabulbar betamethasone injections were performed. Intravenous (iv) methylprednisolone pulses were followed by oral steroid therapy while systemic antibiotics were given (ceftriaxone and vancomycin). In spite of this therapy, fundus examination was impossible because the anterior chamber was filled with fibrin. A cataract developed with severe vitritis and we could observe a progressive narrowing of the anterior chamber. The patient underwent a bilateral vitrectomy and lensectomy. The retina had no lesion. No bacteria were found in the vitreous culture. Evolution was characterized by an increased ocular pressure due to anterior synechiae. Visual acuity remained under 1/10. The severe ocular inflammation could be the result of a mixed mechanism including an infectious followed by a severe immune response against bacterial components. CONCLUSIONS: This case report is rare. To our knowledge, only 3 similar cases have been reported in the literature.

[Mycotic endophthalmitis: management and treatment (9 year study)]. / Endophtalmies d'origine fongique: prise en charge et traitement (etude sur 9 ans).

UNLABELLED: Fungal endophthalmitis: management and therapy (a 9 years experience). BACKGROUND: The development of new azoles with a better ocular bioavailability (fluconazole), and the improvement of vitrectomy has recently influenced the treatment of fungal endophthalmitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Records of patients treated for fungal endophthalmitis at the Jules Gonin Eye Hospital were retrospectively reviewed from January 1992 to December 2000. Initial and final visual acuities, risk factors, treatment outcomes and side effects were evaluated. Data were examined separately according to the therapy. RESULTS: 17 patients (13 males, 4 females, mean age 54 years - 27 eyes) were enrolled. 14/27 eyes were treated by oral fluconazole only (group I) for a mean duration of 5.8 +/- 3.4 months. In this series the mean initial visual acuity was 0.73 +/- 0.4 (Snellen chart), the mean final visual acuity was 0.91 +/- 0.3 in 12 eyes, hand motion and light perception in 2 eyes. 10/27 eyes (group II) with severe vitritis and/or retinal detachment underwent pars plana vitrectomy, intraocular injection of amphotericin B, and short course of oral fluconazole. The initial mean visual acuity was 0.36 +/- 0.3 in 8 eyes, hand motion in 2 eyes; the final mean visual acuity was 0.46 +/- 0.4 in 9 eyes. Vitrectomy was repeated in 3 eyes, 1 of which was subsequently enucleated due to painful phthisis. 2 patients (3 eyes) did not receive any treatment. CONCLUSION: Oral fluconazol is successful in the management of mild fungal endophthalimitis. In more severe cases, additional vitrectomy and intraocular amphotericin B injection should be considered. In such cases, pars plana vitrectomy is thought to be effective in removing the majority of the fungal charge and in allowing a direct supply of antifungal agents to the retinal infectious foci.

Massive vascular endothelium growth factor (VEGF) expression in Eales' disease.

BACKGROUND: Eales' disease is an idiopathic retinal vasculitic and vaso-occlusive process complicated by extensive retinal neovascularisation and vitreous hemorrhages. The great propensity to produce retinal neovessels is one of the particular aspects of the disease that deserves to be further investigated. We report a case of Eales' disease having evolved over more than three decades, with a typical clinical presentation in one eye, while the other eye had to be enucleated because of a terminal neovascular glaucoma, thus allowing pathological examination. METHODS: The functional right eye was treated by vitrectomy, cerclage, cryocoagulation and endolaser. The non-functional phthitic left eye was enucleated and submitted for histopathological and immunohistochemical examination using antibodies against vascular endothelial growth factor, T-cells, B-cells and Müller cells. RESULTS: Evolution was favourable in the operated right eye, following management of the inflammatory reaction. The histopathological examination of the left eye revealed an occlusion of the anterior chamber angle by rubeosis iridis, tractional retinal detachments, pre-, intra- and sub-retinal neovascular membranes, and vitrous hemorrhages. Diffuse positive anti-VEGF immunostaining was found at the level of the retinal neovascular membranes. The retina exhibited prominent Müller cell immunostaining, indicating extensive gliosis, and predominantly B cell infiltrates were found in the eye. CONCLUSION: The present study indicates a close relationship between the prominent neovascular proliferation in Eales' disease and the intense expression of VEGF. The increased expression of VEGF, when compared to other conditions inducing neovascularisation, might explain the severity of neovascular growth and the propensity of repeated vitrous hemorrhages in Eales' disease.