Retinal venous occlusions: diagnosis and choice of treatments.

Retinal vascular occlusive disorders constitute one of the major causes of blindness and impaired vision. There is marked controversy on their pathogeneses, clinical features and particularly their management. Recently, advances in clinical research added antivascular endothelial growth factor, corticosteroids and sustained-release implants to our armamentarium in the management of retinal vein occlusions. The purpose of our paper is to provide an update and a brief review on the current treatment options of retinal vein occlusions.

Topical anesthesia: possible risk factor for endophthalmitis after cataract extraction.

PURPOSE: To assess the relationship between the risk for acute endophthalmitis after cataract extraction and whether certain factors, such as surgeon qualification, numerical order, duration of surgery, operating theater, and type of anesthesia (topical or retrobulbar), could be modified to decrease the risk. SETTING: Single-center academic practice. METHODS: Two epidemiological studies were performed: a case-control study and a retrospective cohort study. The surgical records of all patients with clinically diagnosed endophthalmitis within 30 days after cataract surgery performed between February 2002 and September 2003 were reviewed. The endophthalmitis cases were compared with 108 randomly selected controls (4 controls per case). The global incidence of endophthalmitis and the incidence according to type of anesthesia were calculated. RESULTS: Of 5011 cataract extractions performed, 27 cases of endophthalmitis occurred. The incidence was 5.39 per 1000 procedures. An independent statistically significant relationship was found between endophthalmitis and the use of topical anesthesia (odds ratio [OR], 11.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.4-58.7) and surgery longer than 45 minutes (OR, 7.2; 95% CI, 1.7-29.7) but not between the other variables. The incidence of endophthalmitis was 1.8 per 1000 cataract extractions with retrobulbar anesthesia and 6.76 per 1000 with topical anesthesia (relative risk [RR], 3.76; 95% CI, 0.89-15.85). After the start of the study period was extended to May 2001, the incidence of endophthalmitis was 1.3 per 1000 cataract extractions with retrobulbar anesthesia and 8.7 per 1000 with topical anesthesia (RR, 6.72; 95% CI, 1.63-27.63). CONCLUSION: Results suggest that there may be an association between topical anesthesia and endophthalmitis after cataract extraction.

Management of macular edema in branch retinal vein occlusion with sheathotomy and recombinant tissue plasminogen activator.

PURPOSE: The common adventitial sheath that surrounds the retinal venule and arteriole at the crossing site plays a crucial role in branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). The purpose of this study was to report the surgical recanalization of the occluded vein using a bimanual technique and recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and its effect on final visual acuity. METHODS: Arteriovenous sheathotomy was performed, using a bimanual technique, followed by fluid-air exchange and injection of 25 mg of recombinant tPA over the area of the occluded vein. RESULTS: Intraoperative sectioning of the common arteriovenous sheath was achieved in all 40 patients. Thrombus release was observed in 11 cases (27.5%) and was correlated with early surgery (P < 0.001) and better final visual recovery (P < 0.06). Optical coherence tomography showed macular thickness that decreased by greater than 40% in 31 patients (77.5%) compared with preoperatively, and correlated to postoperative visual acuity (P < 0.001). The mean visual acuity increased from 20/100 to 20/40, with 70% of patients gaining three or more lines of visual acuity (Pearson 0.378, P = 0.016). CONCLUSION: Surgical venous decompression and injection of recombinant tPA may effectively manage macular edema secondary to BRVO, thus improving anatomic and visual outcome. Early surgical intervention may obtain maximum final visual recovery.