[Treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment by pneumatic retinopexy: a review of 50 patients]. / Traitement du décollement de rétine rhegmatogène par rétinopexie pneumatique: étude à propos de 50 cas.

PURPOSE: : To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of pneumatic retinopexy as an alternative technique for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a review of 50 patients (50 eyes) who had undergone pneumatic retinopexy as the initial procedure for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment between January 2001 and March 2006. The mean follow-up period was 22 months (range, 6-57 months). RESULTS: Pneumatic retinopexy resulted in reattachment in 35 eyes (70%) with one procedure. The final reattachment rate, after revision, was 94% (47/50 eyes). In seven eyes (14%), the cause of failure was the presence of missed or new retinal breaks. There was no correlation between the initial reattachment rate and the size of detachment, the status of the macula at presentation, the number of retinal breaks, and the type of retinopexy (cryotherapy or laser photocoagulation). A two-line or more improvement in Snellen acuity was achieved in 24 of 35 eyes (68.6%). A postoperative visual acuity equal to or better than 4/10 was significantly correlated with time from first symptom to presentation less than 1 month (p=0.05), preoperative visual acuity equal to or better than 4/10 (p=0.02), and attached macula at presentation (p=0.03). CONCLUSION: Pneumatic retinopexy appears to be an effective procedure for the initial management of primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachments with superior retinal breaks and without proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

Pattern of uveitis in a referral centre in Tunisia, North Africa.

AIM: To analyse the pattern of uveitis in a referral centre in Tunisia, North Africa. METHODS: The study included 472 patients with uveitis examined at the Department of Ophthalmology of Monastir (Tunisia) from January 1992 to August 2003. All patients had a comprehensive ocular and systemic history, including an extensive review of medical systems. Complete ophthalmic examination was performed in all cases, including best-corrected Snellen visual acuity, slit-lamp examination, applanation tonometry, and dilated fundus examination with three-mirror lens. Standard diagnostic criteria were employed for all syndromes or entities of uveitis. RESULTS: The mean age at onset of uveitis was 34 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1:1.1. Uveitis was unilateral in 282 patients (59.7%) and bilateral in 190 patients (40.3%). Anterior uveitis was most common (166 patients; 35.2%), followed by posterior uveitis (133 patients; 28.2%), panuveitis (100 patients; 21.2%), and intermediate uveitis (73 patients; 15.5%). A specific diagnosis was found in 306 patients (64.8%). The most common cause of anterior uveitis was herpetic uveitis (56 patients; 33.7%). Toxoplasmosis was the most frequent cause of posterior uveitis (51 patients; 38.3%). Intermediate uveitis was most commonly idiopathic (63 patients; 86.3%). Behçet's disease was the most common cause of panuveitis (36 patients; 36%), followed by Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease (15 patients; 15%). A total of 16 patients (3.4%) suffered from blindness, and 59 (12.5%) from uniocular blindness. CONCLUSIONS: In a hospital population in Tunisia, the most common causes of uveitis were Behçet's disease, herpes simplex infection, toxoplasmosis, and VKH disease.

[Compressive optic neuropathy caused by fibrous dysplasia]. / Neuropathie optique compressive secondaire à une dysplasie fibreuse.

We report a case of compressive optic neuropathy caused by fibrous dysplasia in a 28-year-old woman. The patient had no significant medical history. Her best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in the right eye and 20/400 in the left eye. There was an afferent pupillary defect in the left eye. Slit-lamp examination was unremarkable. Funduscopy showed a normal optic disc bilaterally and congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium in the right eye. Systemic evaluation disclosed facial asymmetry and mucocutaneous lentiginosis involving the face and the limbs. Goldmann visual field testing showed a cecocentral scotoma in the left eye. Imaging studies demonstrated extensive changes of craniofacial fibrous dysplasia involving the sphenoid bone, with compression of the left optic nerve by a cystic structure. Results of gastrointestinal fibroscopy were unremarkable. The patient was given systemic steroids. After 4 days of treatment, her visual acuity had improved to 20/40, with resolution of the afferent pupillary defect and visual field improvement. Debulking of the tumor was recommended, but the patient declined the procedure. She has remained stable over 13 months of follow-up. Compressive optic neuropathy should be considered as a leading cause of visual loss in patients with craniofacial fibrous dysplasia. Early diagnosis, close follow-up, and appropriate management are mandatory to improve or maintain the visual function in such patients.

Retinal venous macroaneurysm associated with premacular hemorrhage.

To report an unusual association of a retinal venous macroaneurysm with premacular hemorrhage in a 50-year-old man, using a case report method. The patient exhibited a dense premacular hemorrhage in the left eye. Fluorescein angiography demonstrated that the source of bleeding was an isolated retinal venous macroaneurysm. The anterior surface of the hematoma was opened with an argon green laser, resulting in rapid clearing of the premacular hemorrhage and improvement in vision. Treatment of the retina surrounding the macroaneurysm to prevent recurrence of bleeding was ineffective to achieve occlusion of the lesion. No recurrent hemorrhage occurred during the observation period. Retinal venous macroaneurysm, a quite rare condition, may be complicated by premacular hemorrhage. Argon green laser may be useful in treating such hemorrhage. Hemorrhagic detachment of the internal limiting membrane or subhyaloid hemorrhage in the macula may occur after retinal vessel rupture with physical exertion (Valsalva retinopathy) or in retinal vascular diseases, such as proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and retinal arterial macroaneurysm. Arterial macroaneurysms are a common, well-described retinal vascular disorder. In contrast to retinal arterial macroaneurysms, retinal venous macroaneurysms are quite rare. In this article we describe a patient who presented with premacular hemorrhage that was caused by a retinal venous macroaneurysm. The hematoma and the macroaneurysm were treated with argon green laser.