Effectiveness of Bariatric Surgery vs Community Weight Management Intervention for the Treatment of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) causes headaches, vision loss, and reduced quality of life. Sustained weight loss among patients with IIH is necessary to modify the disease and prevent relapse. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of bariatric surgery with that of a community weight management (CWM) intervention for the treatment of patients with active IIH. Design, Setting, and Participants: This 5-year randomized clinical trial (Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Weight Trial) enrolled women with active IIH and a body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) of 35 or higher at 5 National Health Service hospitals in the UK between March 1, 2014, and May 25, 2017. Of 74 women assessed for eligibility, 6 did not meet study criteria and 2 declined to participate; 66 women were randomized. Data were analyzed from November 1, 2018, to May 14, 2020. Interventions: Bariatric surgery (n = 33) or CWM intervention (Weight Watchers) (n = 33). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was change in intracranial pressure measured by lumbar puncture opening pressure at 12 months, as assessed in an intention-to-treat analysis. Secondary outcomes included lumbar puncture opening pressure at 24 months as well as visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, perimetric mean deviation, and quality of life (measured by the 36-item Short Form Health Survey) at 12 and 24 months. Because the difference in continuous outcomes between groups is presented, the null effect was at 0. Results: Of the 66 female participants (mean [SD] age, 32.0 [7.8] years), 64 (97.0%) remained in the clinical trial at 12 months and 54 women (81.8%) were included in the primary outcome analysis. Intracranial pressure was significantly lower in the bariatric surgery arm at 12 months (adjusted mean [SE] difference, -6.0 [1.8] cm cerebrospinal fluid [CSF]; 95% CI, -9.5 to -2.4 cm CSF; P = .001) and at 24 months (adjusted mean [SE] difference, -8.2 [2.0] cm CSF; 95% CI, -12.2 to -4.2 cm CSF; P < .001) compared with the CWM arm. In the per protocol analysis, intracranial pressure was significantly lower in the bariatric surgery arm at 12 months (adjusted mean [SE] difference, -7.2 [1.8] cm CSF; 95% CI, -10.6 to -3.7 cm CSF; P < .001) and at 24 months (adjusted mean [SE] difference, -8.7 [2.0] cm CSF; 95% CI, -12.7 to -4.8 cm CSF; P < .001). Weight was significantly lower in the bariatric surgery arm at 12 months (adjusted mean [SE] difference, -21.4 [5.4] kg; 95% CI, -32.1 to -10.7 kg; P < .001) and at 24 months (adjusted mean [SE] difference, -26.6 [5.6] kg; 95% CI, -37.5 to -15.7 kg; P < .001). Quality of life was significantly improved at 12 months (adjusted mean [SE] difference, 7.3 [3.6]; 95% CI, 0.2-14.4; P = .04) and 24 months (adjusted mean [SE] difference, 10.4 [3.8]; 95% CI, 3.0-17.9; P = .006) in the bariatric surgery arm. Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, bariatric surgery was superior to a CWM intervention in lowering intracranial pressure. The continued improvement over the course of 2 years shows the impact of this intervention with regard to sustained disease remission. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02124486.

Changing trend in referral to secondary care specialist thyroid eye disease clinic following the Amsterdam declaration.

INTRODUCTION: Early diagnosis and treatment of thyroid eye disease (TED) improves outcomes. Previous studies have highlighted delays in diagnosis and referral to specialist centres. The Amsterdam declaration (2009) aimed to halve the time from presentation to diagnosis and from diagnosis to referral to a specialist centre in five years. A recent study from the European group on Graves' orbitopathy tertiary centres showed a trend for earlier referral of patients to the centres. It is unknown whether similar improvements are occurring in secondary care hospitals in the UK. AIM: To study the trend in referral to a UK secondary care specialist TED clinic since the Amsterdam declaration. METHODS: We carried out a prospective audit of patients who attended the specialist TED clinic after the Amsterdam declaration (2010-2015). We compared their clinical characteristics, including duration of symptoms, disease activity and severity, with those of the patients (n = 114) from an earlier audit attending the clinic during 2004-2008. RESULTS: During 2010-2015, 126 patients with TED (97 females, median age 55 years, 39 current smokers) attended the clinic. The median time from onset of symptoms to being seen in the clinic was 5 months, reduced from 12 months in 2004-2008 (p < 0.001). As compared to the 2004-2008 cohort, significantly more patients in the current cohort presented with mild disease (72 vs. 52%, p = 0.002). Twenty-seven per cent patients had active TED (clinical activity score ≥3/7) compared to 18% in 2004-2008 (p = 0.1). CONCLUSIONS: The trend in referral to secondary care specialist TED clinic is changing in line with the Amsterdam declaration aims.

Optic neuropathy secondary to eosinophilic angiocentric fibrosis.

Eosinophilic angiocentric fibrosis (EAF) is a rare fibroinflammatory disorder with a predilection for upper respiratory tract submucosa. We report a 45-year-old man with progressive unilateral visual loss secondary to a retroorbital soft tissue mass with histological features consistent with EAF. The patient experienced marked improvement in vision after endoscopic optic nerve decompression through sphenoethmoidectomy.

A practical approach to, diagnosis, assessment and management of idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

Adult patients who present with papilloedema and symptoms of raised intracranial pressure need urgent multidisciplinary assessment including neuroimaging, to exclude life-threatening causes. Where there is no apparent underlying cause for the raised intracranial pressure, patients are considered to have idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). The incidence of IIH is increasing in line with the global epidemic of obesity. There are controversial issues in its diagnosis and management. This paper gives a practical approach to assessing patients with papilloedema, its investigation and the subsequent management of patients with IIH.

A case of peripheral ulcerative keratitis associated with neutrophilic dermatosis of the dorsal hand.

We report a case of peripheral ulcerative keratitis associated with neutrophilic dermatosis of the dorsal hand, a recently described clinical entity. A 68-year-old man presented with concurrent peripheral ulcerative keratitis of the right eye and neutrophilic dermatosis of the dorsal hand causing pustular skin eruptions on the dorsal surface of both hands. Systemic investigations suggested an underlying diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of neutrophilic dermatosis of the dorsal hand associated with ocular complications.

Streptococcus pneumoniae endocarditis on replacement aortic valve with panopthalmitis and pseudoabscess.

A 63-year-old woman with a previous episode of Streptococcus agalactiae endocarditis requiring a bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement presented with a short history of malaise, a right panopthalmitis with a Roth spot on funduscopy of the left eye and Streptococcus pneumoniae grown from vitreous and aqueous taps as well as blood cultures. She developed first degree heart block and her ECG was suggestive of an aortic root abscess. This gradually resolved over 6 weeks, during which she was treated with intravenous antibiotics. After careful consideration, it is likely that what was thought to be an aortic root abscess was instead an area of perivalvular inflammation.

Ocular presentation of pediatric Miller-Fisher syndrome.

The authors describe a case of Miller-Fisher syndrome in a child who presented to the ophthalmology department with bilateral abducens nerve palsies. Miller-Fisher syndrome is an important differential diagnosis in any case of bilateral sixth nerve palsies but should only be definitively diagnosed once tumors, infections, and other neurological diseases have been conclusively ruled out.