A Comparison of Radial and Horizontal Macular Optical Coherence Tomography on Detection of Macular Pathology: A Prospective Study at an Academic Institution.

Purpose: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is useful in diagnosing and monitoring retinal pathology such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema (DME), central serous chorioretinopathy, and epiretinal membrane, among others. This study compared the ability of horizontal (H) 25-, 13-, and 7-cut macular OCT vs 24-, 12-, and 6-cut radial (R) macular OCT in identifying various macular pathology. Methods: This was a prospective study of 161 established patients evaluated at Wilford Hall Eye Center Retina Clinic between September and October of 2019. Pathology included age-related macular degeneration, central serous chorioretinopathy, DME, and epiretinal membrane, among others. Patients obtained 25-, 13-, and 7-cut H raster OCT as well as 24-, 12-, and 6-cut R OCT. Primary outcomes were sensitivity in detecting macular fluid and each macular abnormality. Results: The 24-cut radial (R24) OCT equally or out-performed the H25 (horizontal 25-cut OCT) in detecting macular fluid across all pathological groups. Generally, a higher number of cuts correlated with better detection of fluid. In detecting any macular abnormalities, H25, R24, and R12 had 100% sensitivity. R6 OCT had near 100% sensitivity across all groups, except for DME (95%). Overall, R OCT had better sensitivity (0.960) than H OCT (0.907) in detecting macular pathology. Conclusions: R outperformed H macular OCT in detecting fluid and other abnormalities. Clinically, both scanning patterns can be used by ophthalmologists in diagnosis and management of commonly encountered macular diseases. Technicians may be able to use a variety of these scans to screen for pathology prior to physician evaluation.

A History of Anti-VEGF Inhibitors in the Ophthalmic Literature: A Bibliographic Review.

Purpose: This work aimed to analyze the 100 most-cited articles on antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) inhibitors. Methods: A literature search for anti-VEGF inhibitors using the Web of Science was completed using the bibliographic databases for peer-reviewed literature published in Ophthalmology, the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, and Lancet. Primary outcomes were the most frequently cited articles and journals with the most citations as well as the specific drug and disease process studied. Results: There were 42 696 cumulative citations among the top 100 articles. The articles were published between 2004 to 2016, with most articles published in 2006. Ophthalmology published the greatest number of articles among the top 100 at 48, whereas the New England Journal of Medicine has the most citations per publication at 1714. Ranibizumab was the medication researched in most articles at 56, followed by bevacizumab at 48, aflibercept at 10, and pegaptanib at 9. Forty-two articles investigated treatment of age-related macular degeneration, followed by 24 investigating diabetic macular edema, 10 for retinal vein occlusion, 8 for proliferative diabetic retinopathy, 2 for retinopathy of prematurity and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, and 1 for corneal neovascularization. Conclusions: As evidenced by the considerable number of citations accumulated over the past 20 years, anti-VEGF inhibitors have led to significant research in ophthalmology.

Comparing fundus autofluorescence and infrared imaging findings of peripheral retinoschisis, schisis detachment, and retinal detachment.

PURPOSE: The primary goal of this study was to identify characteristic features of peripheral degenerative retinoschisis (RS), schisis detachment (SD) and retinal detachment (RD) on both fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and infrared (IR) imaging, using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging of the peripheral retina as the confirmatory imaging tool. METHODS: This is a descriptive case series study. A total of 27 eyes of 22 patients were included. Thirteen eyes of 10 patients diagnosed with RS, 4 eyes of 3 patients diagnosed with SD, and 10 eyes of 9 patients diagnosed with RD were included. Patients with images of poor quality were excluded. Heidelberg Spectralis HRA + OCT machine (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) were used to acquire the images. RESULTS: All conditions appeared as areas of hypo-AF on FAF and hypo-reflectance on IR imaging. Accentuated vasculature of the lesion was noted with IR imaging due to elevation of the RS and RD, which was less frequently observed with FAF. On FAF, a hyper-AF leading edge around the RS lesion indicated the presence of intraretinal or subretinal fluid and an extension of the RS. Retinal breaks/holes were best visualized with IR imaging. SD-OCT confirmed the diagnosis in all performed cases. CONCLUSIONS: We were unable to differentiate between RS and RD based solely on findings from FAF and IR imaging. However, the combination of them with SD-OCT can assist in the diagnosis of RS from RD and in the evaluation of RS progression. OCT remains the main modality imaging to differentiate these conditions.

Posterior Segment Findings in Patients on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Purpose: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is an established treatment modality for critically ill patients with cardiopulmonary failure, yet little is known of the ocular pathology in this population. The aim of this study is to characterize the posterior segment findings of ECMO patients. Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of 20 ECMO patients evaluated by ophthalmology from September 2012 to May 2019 at a level 1 trauma center. Comprehensive examinations assessed for intraocular pathology. Demographic data, exam findings, and mortality were analyzed. Results: The sample size consisted of 20 patients; a majority were male (75%), and mean age was 37.4 years (interquartile range, 26.75-50 years). All patients received ECMO for care of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Average duration of ECMO therapy was 9.6 ± 6.5 days. Eleven (55%) patients had acute retinal pathology, including Purtscher-like retinopathy (20%), intraocular hemorrhage (50%), and septic chorioretinitis (bacterial or fungal, 10%). Location of hemorrhage included the retina (40%), vitreous (30%), and optic disc (15%). Sixty percent (n = 12) of patients were unable to provide a subjective history on initial assessment. Ultimately, 5 out of 20 patients (25%) died of systemic illness during their hospital stay. Conclusion: This study demonstrates high rates of retinal pathology, most commonly vitreous and/or retinal hemorrhage alongside a Purtscher-like retinopathy. This is likely secondary to complications of anticoagulation, microthrombi, septicemia, and hemodynamic instability. We found a mortality rate slightly lower than that of prior ECMO studies. Prospective studies with pre-ECMO and post-ECMO fundus photography is warranted for better understanding of these medically complex patients.

Patterns and prognosis of commotio retinae in orbital wall fractures.

PURPOSE: Orbital wall fractures are a significant cause of ocular injury in trauma and are associated with posterior segment pathology. This study aims to characterize patterns and prognosis of commotio retinae following orbital wall fracture. METHODS: This study is a retrospective analysis of 294 orbital wall fractures diagnosed by computed tomography imaging from August 2015 to October 2016 at a Level 1 trauma center. Dilated funduscopic exams were assessed for acute posterior segment pathology, focusing specifically on commotio retinae (N = 38). These were compared with patients with no traumatic retinal findings (N = 253) to indicate statistically significant differences in the mechanism of injury, fracture pattern, subjective symptoms, radiologic and exam findings, and acute interventions. RESULTS: Commotio was most commonly associated with assault (60.5%, p = 0.004) in a younger patient population, whereas normal retinal exams were more likely after falls from standing (24.1%, p = 0.022). Half of all commotio was found inferiorly and most commonly occurred in medial or inferior wall fracture. Patients with commotio were more likely to have motility deficits (29.7%, p = 0.049) with clinical evidence of entrapment (13.2%, p < 0.001), requiring acute operative repair (15.8%, p = 0.005). Inferior wall fracture was associated with 19.4% surgical intervention in commotio as compared with those with normal funduscopic exams (6.1%, p = 0.012). All patients with follow-up had resolution of commotio and best-corrected visual acuity of 20/25 or better. CONCLUSION: Retinal pathology is not infrequent in orbital wall fractures. Inferior wall fracture was associated with 19.4% surgical intervention in commotio as compared to those with normal funduscopic exams (6.1%, p = 0.012). A high index of suspicion and thorough investigation is warranted in evaluating these patients.

ENDOGENOUS NOCARDIA ENDOPHTHALMITIS PRESENTING AS A MASS LESION IN A PATIENT WITH METATSTATIC NONSMALL CELL CARCINOMA OF THE LUNG.

PURPOSE: To report a case of Nocardia cyriacigeorgica endophthalmitis. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: A 71-year-old man on long-term steroid therapy for poor respiratory function from lung carcinoma and presumed recent liver metastases presented with a four week history of blurry vision in the left eye. Ophthalmic examination revealed a white elevated mass in the macula with hemorrhage, concerning for metastasis. The patient was treated for presumed ocular metastases but had poor response to radiotherapy and was diagnosed four weeks later with N. cyriacigeorgica by retinal biopsy. Despite intravitreal and systemic antibiotics, the patient had progression of disease and died of respiratory involvement. CONCLUSION: Nocardia endogenous endophthalmitis can present as a mass retinal lesion in immunosuppressed patients with metastatic disease. Early vitreous and retinal biopsy may be required for definitive diagnosis and treatment. A pulmonary source of infection should be suspected and monitored closely.

Fully Automated Segmentation of Fluid/Cyst Regions in Optical Coherence Tomography Images With Diabetic Macular Edema Using Neutrosophic Sets and Graph Algorithms.

This paper presents a fully automated algorithm to segment fluid-associated (fluid-filled) and cyst regions in optical coherence tomography (OCT) retina images of subjects with diabetic macular edema. The OCT image is segmented using a novel neutrosophic transformation and a graph-based shortest path method. In neutrosophic domain, an image is transformed into three sets: (true), (indeterminate) that represents noise, and (false). This paper makes four key contributions. First, a new method is introduced to compute the indeterminacy set , and a new -correction operation is introduced to compute the set in neutrosophic domain. Second, a graph shortest-path method is applied in neutrosophic domain to segment the inner limiting membrane and the retinal pigment epithelium as regions of interest (ROI) and outer plexiform layer and inner segment myeloid as middle layers using a novel definition of the edge weights . Third, a new cost function for cluster-based fluid/cyst segmentation in ROI is presented which also includes a novel approach in estimating the number of clusters in an automated manner. Fourth, the final fluid regions are achieved by ignoring very small regions and the regions between middle layers. The proposed method is evaluated using two publicly available datasets: Duke, Optima, and a third local dataset from the UMN clinic which is available online. The proposed algorithm outperforms the previously proposed Duke algorithm by 8% with respect to the dice coefficient and by 5% with respect to precision on the Duke dataset, while achieving about the same sensitivity. Also, the proposed algorithm outperforms a prior method for Optima dataset by 6%, 22%, and 23% with respect to the dice coefficient, sensitivity, and precision, respectively. Finally, the proposed algorithm also achieves sensitivity of 67.3%, 88.8%, and 76.7%, for the Duke, Optima, and the university of minnesota (UMN) datasets, respectively.

Fully-automated segmentation of fluid regions in exudative age-related macular degeneration subjects: Kernel graph cut in neutrosophic domain.

A fully-automated method based on graph shortest path, graph cut and neutrosophic (NS) sets is presented for fluid segmentation in OCT volumes for exudative age related macular degeneration (EAMD) subjects. The proposed method includes three main steps: 1) The inner limiting membrane (ILM) and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layers are segmented using proposed methods based on graph shortest path in NS domain. A flattened RPE boundary is calculated such that all three types of fluid regions, intra-retinal, sub-retinal and sub-RPE, are located above it. 2) Seed points for fluid (object) and tissue (background) are initialized for graph cut by the proposed automated method. 3) A new cost function is proposed in kernel space, and is minimized with max-flow/min-cut algorithms, leading to a binary segmentation. Important properties of the proposed steps are proven and quantitative performance of each step is analyzed separately. The proposed method is evaluated using a publicly available dataset referred as Optima and a local dataset from the UMN clinic. For fluid segmentation in 2D individual slices, the proposed method outperforms the previously proposed methods by 18%, 21% with respect to the dice coefficient and sensitivity, respectively, on the Optima dataset, and by 16%, 11% and 12% with respect to the dice coefficient, sensitivity and precision, respectively, on the local UMN dataset. Finally, for 3D fluid volume segmentation, the proposed method achieves true positive rate (TPR) and false positive rate (FPR) of 90% and 0.74%, respectively, with a correlation of 95% between automated and expert manual segmentations using linear regression analysis.

The Effect of Scleral Buckling Surgery on Choroidal Thickness Measured by Enhanced Depth Optical Coherence Tomography: A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: To assess the anatomical changes taking place in the choroid after a scleral buckle (SB) procedure for retinal detachment repair. METHODS: This cross-sectional study looked at 23 adults with a history of unilateral retinal detachment repaired with a SB or other encircling element. The subjects underwent bilateral Enhanced Depth Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography to image the choroid. The choroidal thickness (CT) was measured, and the non-operative eye was used as an internal control. RESULTS: CT was measured to be 170.8 ± 60.9 µm (mean ± SD) in eyes with SBs compared to 175.1 ± 61.9 µm in non-operative eyes. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (mean 4.3 µm, 95% CI -8.7, 17.3, p value 0.4973, paired t test). CONCLUSION: Placement of an SB as part of a surgery to repair retinal detachment did not significantly alter CT at the macula.

Strategies for Improving Patient Comfort During Intravitreal Injections: Results from a Survey-Based Study.

INTRODUCTION: Many ocular diseases require intravitreal injections of pharmacological agents. Optimizing patients' experiences during injections is important to ensure compliance and maintenance of quality of life. The objective of this study was to identify strategies to help alleviate discomfort during intravitreal injections. METHODS: A cross-sectional study surveying 128 patients during clinic visits between 2014 and 2015 in two outpatient Retina Clinics (one academic and one private). Patients receiving an intravitreal injection(s) for any retinal disorder were given a questionnaire with 10-yes/no responses for various potential strategies. Responses were stratified by sex, age (<30 years, 30-60 years, and >60 years) and total number of prior injections (0-9 injections, 10-20 injections and >20 injections). RESULTS: A total of 128 patients were surveyed: 59 males, 41 females and 28 with no sex specified. Our results identified four favorable strategies as those receiving more than 50% "yes" votes. These included the presence of technician/staff during the procedure, the use of a neck pillow, a verbal warning before the injection and performing injections in both eyes on the same day. Other specific strategies were identified for females, younger patients and those with greatest experience. These included: females preferred having their hand held during injections (P = 0.001) and using a stress ball (P = 0.000) when compared to males. Stratifying by age, patients 30-60 years old preferred having their hand held (P = 0.008) and background music (P = 0.007). Stratifying by prior injections, patients with >20 prior injections preferred having their hand held (P = 0.001), using a stress ball (P = 0.021) and, if necessary, having bilateral injections performed the same day to improve comfort (P = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS: Having an extra staff member present during the injection, having a neck pillow, having a verbal warning prior to injection and having both eyes injected on the same day were indicated as favorable strategies by over half of those surveyed. Further, specific strategies were identified for females, younger patients (30-60 years old) and those with greatest experience (>20 injections).

Implantation of the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis in an Eye With Short Axial Length.

The authors describe the implantation of the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System (Argus II) (Second Sight Medical Products, Sylmar, CA) into a short axial length (AL) eye. The authors' main modification is the use of endocyclophotocoagulation (endo-CPC) to the ciliary processes in the area that the cable enters through the sclerotomy. This case describes the surgical technique necessary for successful implantation of the Argus II into a short AL eye. The use of endo-PC prevents chafing to the ciliary processes, does not affect postoperative intraocular pressure, and facilitates direct visualization of the structures during the surgery, preventing damage during implantation.

Dirofilaria presenting as orbital mass.

Dirofilaria is a common roundworm infection of dogs, cats, raccoons, and other animals that is commonly referred to as "heartworm." The genus Dirofilaria includes D. immitis, which is a common cause of animal disease in the western hemisphere and primarily manifests as pulmonary lesions in humans, and D. repens, which is the more common causative agent of animal disease in Eurasia and primarily results in subcutaneous and ocular lesions in humans. Humans are accidental end hosts, with infection resulting from bites by mosquitoes of the Culicidae family in which ingested microfilaria have matured to infectious larvae.