A collaborative care pathway for patients with suspected angle closure glaucoma spectrum disease.

BACKGROUND: Currently, no specific collaborative care pathway exists that distinguishes open angle glaucoma from narrow angle or angle closure disease. This study evaluates a newly developed referral and collaborative care pathway specifically for patients with angle closure spectrum disease. METHODS: The medical records of consecutive patients referred to the Centre for Eye Health for glaucoma assessment were examined, six months before (Pre Suite) and after (Post Suite) the introduction of a novel referral pathway for anterior chamber angle assessment (Angle Suite). Patient demographic and clinical data, the referral letter and practitioner characteristics were extracted. RESULTS: Angle Suite (n = 77) patients had an appointment much sooner compared to Pre (n = 383) and Post Suite (n = 425) patients (p < 0.0001). Following the introduction of Angle Suites, there was a reduction of incidental angle closure disease found in routine, non-angle closure glaucoma assessment. Onward referral was required by 36.4 per cent of patients referred for suspected angle closure disease, while the rest could be discharged back into the community (13.0 per cent) or reviewed at the Centre for Eye Health (50.6 per cent). Multinomial logistic regression found that the presence of an angle description in the referral letter improved the true positive rate for angle closure disease (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical pathway may reduce the number of incidental angle closure patients and improved the timeliness of appropriate clinical care delivered to a subset of patients who may benefit from prompt medical attention. This pathway provides an opportunity for appropriately staffed and equipped collaborative care clinics to reduce the burden on tertiary level ophthalmic facilities.

Spontaneous hyphaema secondary to bleeding from an iris vascular tuft in a patient with a supratherapeutic International normalised ratio: case report.

BACKGROUND: Iris vascular tufts are rare iris stromal vascular hamartomas. Patients with iris vascular tufts generally remain asymptomatic until presenting with a spontaneous hyphaema or with mild intraoperative pupil margin haemorrhage during anterior segment surgery. This is the first reported case of spontaneous hyphaema from iris vascular tuft related to a documented supratherapeutic International Normalised Ratio as a predisposing factor. At 86 years of age, this patient also represents the oldest documented first occurrence of bleeding from an iris vascular tuft. CASE PRESENTATION: An 86 year old Caucasian lady presented with sudden and persisting loss of vision in her right eye, ocular pain and vomiting. She had a supratherapeutic International Normalised Ratio of 3.9 related to Warfarin use. Her intraocular pressure in the right eye was raised at 55 mmHg, with a 1.6 mm hyphaema and multiple iris vascular tufts visible around the entire pupil. CONCLUSION: The present case highlights the risk of anticoagulation therapy as a predisposing factor for spontaneous hyphaema and adds to the management considerations for this condition. It also demonstrates the need for Ophthalmologists to be aware of iris vascular tufts as a cause for spontaneous hyphaema, independent of age and systemic associations.

Autologous chondrocyte implantation: an overview of technique and outcomes.

Articular cartilage is susceptible to damage; however, it has limited capacity for repair. Damage can lead to persistent symptoms including pain, swelling, and loss of function and may ultimately progress to symptomatic degeneration of the joint. To restore function and minimize symptoms, many advocate surgical intervention in selected candidates, which can range from arthroscopic debridement to restorative procedures depending on patient and lesion characteristics. Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI) is a two-stage, typically second-line intervention where cultured autologous chondrocytes are used with the aim of resurfacing symptomatic chondral defects with hyaline or hyaline-like cartilage. Careful patient selection is important. We present an overview of this procedure including indications and contraindications, surgical technique, and post-operative management. A review of published ACI outcomes is then presented.