Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of acute acquired comitant esotropia.

Acute acquired comitant esotropia (AACE) is mainly characterized by sudden onset, accompanied by diplopia, without extraocular muscles paralysis or ocular motility disorders. In recent years, the incidence of AACE has been increasing, researchers have found that this phenomenon may be related to the widespread use of electronic devices and the increase in the number of people working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, its neural mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. This article primarily reviews the latest developments in the diagnosis and treatment of AACE from the perspectives of etiology and treatment methods, aiming to provide direction for future in-depth exploration of the pathogenesis and treatment approaches of this disease.

Deficits of Visual Cortex Function in Acute Acquired Concomitant Esotropia Patients.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the cortical deficits of patients with acquired concomitant esotropia (AACE) using the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) technique. Methods: Rs-fMRI signals from 25 patients with AACE and 25 matched controls were collected. The repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) test and two-sample t-test were used to investigate statistical differences of the amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) signals and correlation analysis was performed to validate the relationship of signal change and clinical features. Results: The AACE group showed decreased ALFF in both hemispheres symmetrically (t = 0.38, P = 0.71), with peak t in both middle occipital gyrus. The ALFF signal from the upper left inferior frontal gyrus was negatively correlated with the age of onset (r = 0.62, P = 0.0008), and the ALFF signal from the right superior temporal gyrus was negatively correlated with the near work hours (r = 0.63, P = 0.0008). The ALFF signal in the left fusiform gyrus was positively correlated with both near (r = 0.48, P = 0.01) and far (r = 0.44, P = 0.03) deviation, whereas it was only positively correlated with far deviation (r = 0.44, P = 0.03) in the right. Besides, the age of onset and the near work hour were independent factors of signal changes. Conclusions: Using the ALFF signal of rs-fMRI, we found functional deficits in the primary visual cortex and dorsal pathway in patients with AACE. There were functional changes in the fusiform gyrus, and the greater the deviation angle, the higher the changing level. These findings reveal the association of AACE and the visual center, giving us more clues about the treatment of AACE.

Cortical Deficits are Correlated with Impaired Stereopsis in Patients with Strabismus.

In this study, we explored the neural mechanism underlying impaired stereopsis and possible functional plasticity after strabismus surgery. We enrolled 18 stereo-deficient patients with intermittent exotropia before and after surgery, along with 18 healthy controls. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected when participants viewed three-dimensional stimuli. Compared with controls, preoperative patients showed hypoactivation in higher-level dorsal (visual and parietal) areas and ventral visual areas. Pre- and postoperative activation did not significantly differ in patients overall; patients with improved stereopsis showed stronger postoperative activation than preoperative activation in the right V3A and left intraparietal sulcus. Worse stereopsis and fusional control were correlated with preoperative hypoactivation, suggesting that cortical deficits along the two streams might reflect impaired stereopsis in intermittent exotropia. The correlation between improved stereopsis and activation in the right V3A after surgery indicates that functional plasticity may underlie the improvement of stereopsis. Thus, additional postoperative strategies are needed to promote functional plasticity and enhance the recovery of stereopsis.

Short-Term Near Stereoacuity Improvements Following Favorable Surgical Alignment in Exotropic and Esotropic Patients.

PURPOSE: Surgical treatment for strabismus is to promote binocular vision, and the study is to evaluate the effect of surgical realignment on near stereopsis in exotropic and esotropic patients. METHODS: The records of patients who underwent strabismus surgery were retrospectively reviewed. Visual acuity, ocular deviations, fusion control, ocular motility, strabismus subtype and duration, surgery procedures, and stereopsis at before and at one month after surgery were collected. RMANOVA was performed to analyze stereopsis improvement by surgery. A logistic analysis was used to investigate the factors for stereopsis improvement. RESULTS: 143 exotropic and 40 esotropic patients were enrolled. The stereopsis was not significantly improved in patients with exotropia (p > .05), but not in esotropic patients (p < .01). Small degree of near deviation (ß = 0.01), without vertical surgery (ß = 0.11), and the high pre-surgery Titmus (ß = -0.44) were related factors for stereopsis improvement in exotropia patients; male (ß = 0.21) and the high pre-surgery Titmus (ß = -0.36) were related factors for stereopsis improvement in esotropia patients. CONCLUSION: The loss of stereopsis was significantly restored by surgery in esotropia patients and the extent of stereopsis recovery by surgery depends on the deviation at near distance, vertical surgery, and pre-surgery stereopsis in exotropes and on sex and pre-surgery Titmus in esotropes.

Disrupted neural signals in patients with concomitant exotropia.

PURPOSE: Decreased binocular and oculomotor function in strabismics has recently been considered as cortical in origin. This study aimed to investigate functional abnormalities using a frequency-specific neuroimaging method in patients with concomitant exotropia (XT), and to demonstrate the clinical implications. METHODS: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected in 26 XT patients and 26 matched controls. To evaluate the local spontaneous neural activity, the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) was calculated in the typical frequency band (0.01-0.08 Hz) as well as five narrowly-defined frequency bands (slow-6: 0-0.01 Hz, slow-5: 0.01-0.027 Hz, slow-4: 0.027-0.073 Hz, slow-3: 0.073-0.167 Hz, and slow-2: 0.167-0.25 Hz), respectively. RESULTS: Patients with XT showed decreased ALFF in the bilateral parieto-occipital sulcus (POS), and increased ALFF in the bilateral thalamus within the typical frequency band. Frequency-dependent ALFF alterations were found in the higher visual areas such as the right lateral occipital complex (LOC). Furthermore, ALFF in the right LOC in the slow-5 band was positively correlated with fusion control score (r = 0.70, p < 0.0001) and binocular function score (r = 0.67, p = 0.0002). Regression analyses showed that early age of onset remained the only significant explanatory factor for ALFF reduction in the right POS in the typically-measured frequency band (also referred to as the typical frequency band) (Odds ratio, 0.038; 95% confidence interval, 0.001 to 0.075). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide spatial information regarding the functionally disrupted regions in XT. Moreover, the frequency-dependent ALLF alteration in the right LOC might reflect a potential plastic capacity in binocular function, which could be a potential objective index for evaluating disease severity.

Local-Migrant Gaps in Healthcare Utilization Between Older Migrants and Local Residents in China.

BACKGROUND: Older migrants in China without local resident registration (hukou) are a vulnerable population and face barriers to receiving local healthcare. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to quantify the disparities in healthcare utilization between older migrants and local residents in Shanghai, China. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study. SETTING: The study was conducted in Shanghai, China, in 2016. PARTICIPANTS: Older adults (aged ≥60 years) were recruited based on a three-stage stratified cluster sampling method (2571 older locals and 1920 older migrants). MEASUREMENTS: We compared utilization of outpatient care, inpatient care, preventive care, emergency room (ER) admission, and dental care, as well as medication use between older migrants and local residents. The local-migrant gap was parsed into observed and unobserved components using the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method. RESULTS: Older migrants were less likely to utilize outpatient (odds ratio [OR] = 0.757; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.617-0.928), inpatient (OR = 0.642; 95% CI = 0.443-0.931), and preventive care (OR = 0.743; 95% CI = 0.643-0.858) and were more likely to use medication (OR = 1.254; 95% CI = 1.089-1.445) than local residents. Differences in ER admissions and dental care utilization were not significant in the regression analysis. The decomposition results indicated that 55% and 71% of the local-migrant gap in outpatient and preventive care utilization were attributable to individual characteristics, like health insurance. Unobserved components, including hukou-related factors and personal heterogeneous preferences, contributed 59% and 63% to utilization of inpatient care and medication use, respectively. CONCLUSION: We identified local-migrant gaps in healthcare utilization among older adults in China. Further research is needed into integration of the health insurance system, accessibility of public health welfare benefits, and reconstruction of social networks among older migrants. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1560-1567, 2020.

The stability of horizontal ocular alignment of triad exotropia after one-step triple surgery.

PURPOSE: A-pattern exotropia, superior oblique muscle overaction, and dissociated vertical deviation may coexist and are referred to as triad exotropia. The present study evaluated the postoperative stability of horizontal ocular alignment of triad exotropia and possible prognostic factors. METHODS: Medical records of patients with triad exotropia who had one-step triple surgery of superior oblique muscle weakening, superior rectus muscle recession, and lateral rectus muscle recession were reviewed. The horizontal alignment and postoperative drift of triad exotropia were analyzed and compared with constant exotropia. RESULTS: The triad exotropia showed a mean of 7.7△ (± 8.5△) eso-drift, while the constant exotropia was (3.5△ ± 3.4△) exo-drift. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the degree of superior oblique muscle overaction after surgery (P = 0.011) was the only factor associated with horizontal drift. Patients with superior oblique muscle underaction showed larger eso-drift when compared to patients without superior oblique muscle underaction (- 18.0△ ± 11.1△ vs. - 5.1△ ± 5.7△; P = 0.024). The final success rates of the triad exotropia and constant exotropia groups were 53.3% and 69.2%, respectively, and the overcorrection rates were 26.7% and 2.6% (P = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: An overall trend of eso-drift in primary position occurred in triad exotropia after triple surgery up to a follow-up of 25 months. Patients presenting superior oblique muscle underaction after surgery seemed to have large angles of eso-drift, which might be taken into account in surgical planning and follow-up.

Microstructural damage pattern of vascular cognitive impairment: a comparison between moyamoya disease and cerebrovascular atherosclerotic disease.

Moyamoya disease and cerebrovascular atherosclerotic disease are both chronic ischemic diseases with similar presentations of vascular cognitive impairment. The aim of the present study was to investigate the patterns of microstructural damage associated with vascular cognitive impairment in the two diseases. The study recruited 34 patients with moyamoya disease (age 43.9 ± 9.2 years; 20 men and 14 women, 27 patients with cerebrovascular atherosclerotic disease (age: 44.6 ± 7.6 years; 17 men and 10 women), and 31 normal controls (age 43.6 ± 7.3 years; 18 men and 13 women) from Huashan Hospital of Fudan University in China. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination, long-term delayed recall of Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Trail Making Test Part B, and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test. Single-photon emission-computed tomography was used to examine cerebral perfusion. Voxel-based morphometry and tract-based spatial statistics were performed to identify regions of gray matter atrophy and white matter deterioration in patients and normal controls. The results demonstrated that the severity of cognitive impairment was similar between the two diseases in all tested domains. Patients with moyamoya disease and those with cerebrovascular atherosclerotic disease suffered from disturbed supratentorial hemodynamics. Gray matter atrophy in bilateral middle cingulate cortex and parts of the frontal gyrus was prominent in both diseases, but in general, was more severe and more diffuse in those with moyamoya disease. White matter deterioration was significant for both diseases in the genu and body of corpus callosum, in the anterior and superior corona radiation, and in the posterior thalamic radiation, but in moyamoya disease, it was more diffuse and more severe. Vascular cognitive impairment was associated with regional microstructural damage, with a potential link between, gray and white matter damage. Overall, these results provide insight into the pathophysiological nature of vascular cognitive impairment. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board in Huashan Hospital, China (approval No. 2014-278). This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov on December 2, 2014 with the identifier NCT02305407.

The plasticity of the corticospinal tract in children with obstetric brachial plexus palsy after Botulinum Toxin A treatment.

Botulinum neurotoxin A (BTX-A) intervention has long-term benefits for children with obstetric brachial plexus palsy (OBPP). Although cortical plasticity has been widely studied, plasticity in white matter has not received as much attention. Here, six children with OBPP underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) before and 6 months after BTX-A treatment. Surface electromyography (EMG) was recorded. The aim was to investigate changes in the corticospinal tract (CST) as an example longitudinal observation of white matter plasticity. Deterministic fiber tracking with a Fiber Assignment by Continuous Tracking algorithm was used to reconstruct the CST. Fiber tracts passing through a region of interest (ROI) in the posterior limb of the internal capsule and a target ROI in the upper-limb representation of M1 (defined by task-related fMRI) were selected as the CST. Motor performances were improved while EMG showed no significant difference 6 months after the treatment. We observed a significant increase in mean fractional anisotropy and a significant decrease in fiber number after treatment. We analyzed the correlations between DTI metrics and clinical motor assessments. Although the correlation results were not statistically significant, they support the notion that BTX-A treatment causes white matter plasticity and has a positive long-term outcome. Peripheral deafferentation may lead to altered information flow, resulting in the positive adaptation of white matter. This study provides novel insight into cerebral plasticity following peripheral nerve regeneration and indicates that a combination of relatively non-invasive therapies can accelerate plasticity of sensorimotor circuits and promote functional recovery in OBPP.