Clinical outcomes of a beveled tip, ultra-high speed, 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy system.

OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical outcomes of a 25-gauge, beveled-tip, 10,000 cuts-per-minute (cpm) microincisional vitrectomy surgery (MIVS) system. METHODS: Prospective case series of eyes undergoing primary pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for common vitreoretinal indications. Main outcome measures were: rate of achieving surgical objectives, operative times, number of surgical steps, use of ancillary instruments, corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), and adverse events (AE). RESULTS: The surgical objectives were achieved in all eyes. Mean total operative time (TOT), core, shave and total vitrectomy times were 1891 ± 890, 204 ± 120, 330 ± 320, 534 ± 389 s, respectively. Mean number of surgical steps was 4.3 ± 1.5. Mean number of ancillary instruments used was 4.5 ± 1.9. Mean CDVA improved by 0.53 ± 0.56 logMAR units (P < 0.001) 3 months postoperatively. AE included elevated IOP (8%), hypotony (6%), and re-detachment (2%). Majority (82%) had no postoperative discomfort. The number of surgical steps demonstrated a positive correlation with TOT (p < 0.05), number of ancillary instruments used (p < 0.05), and postoperative Day 1 IOP (p < 0.05). The number of times ancillary instrumentation was used demonstrated a positive correlation with TOT (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Beveled-tip, 10,000 cpm MIVS system effectively and safely performs common VR procedures of varying complexity and may reduce operative times and use of ancillary instrumentation.

Outcomes of treatment with sirolimus for non-infectious uveitis: a meta-analysis and systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Uveitis is a group of intraocular inflammatory diseases whose primary treatment involves immunosuppression. Although corticosteroids (CSs) remain the mainstay therapy, sirolimus is among the recently studied immunomodulatory drugs for treating noninfectious uveitis (NIU). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review was to assess and summarize the updated evidence on the outcomes of treatment with sirolimus for NIU. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two reviewers conducted a systematic search on November 5, 2018, of electronic databases (EMBASE, MEDLINE, and The Cochrane Library) and clinical trial registers having no restrictions on language or publication date. The primary outcome was uveitis activity as measured by vitreous haze (VH), while the secondary outcomes included central macular thickness (CMT), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), CS-sparing effect, IOP elevation, and other adverse events. A meta-analysis was conducted on selected studies with appropriate clinical and methodological homogeneity. RESULTS: Seven studies were included and reviewed. Four randomized clinical trials were eligible for meta-analysis: SAVE 2013, One-year outcomes of the SAVE study, SAVE 2 2016, SAKURA 2016. The pooled proportions of inflammation control (VH improvement) were 38% (95% CI 16.19%-62.66%) during a 6-month follow-up and 49.97% (95% CI 16.19%-83.03%) during a 6- to 12-month follow-up with the latter showing a significantly higher response rate (p=0.0472). BCVA improvement was 62.2% (95% CI 33.17%-87.11%) during a 6-month follow-up and 56.86% (95% CI 20.91%-89.05%) during a 6- to 12-month follow-up with no significant difference between the two (p=0.3705). Increased IOP remained at 7.11% (95% CI 3.46%-12.68%) for both a 6-month follow-up and up to a 12-month follow-up duration. The CS-sparing effect of sirolimus was also well demonstrated. A reduction in CMT was observed, and only minor drug-related adverse events were reported in all the studies reviewed. CONCLUSION: This review provided evidence that sirolimus is a promising treatment option for controlling inflammatory activity, improving visual acuity, and sparing CS use with minor adverse events for NIU.