[SPA-1: semiology for phenotyping AMD: precursors]. / SPA-1: sémiologie du phénotype de la dégénérescence maculaire liée à l'âge: précurseurs.

PURPOSE: A reliable classification of AMD subgroups is necessary prior to any genetic or clinical investigation. For this purpose, we evaluated a selected list of items for AMD based on color photographs of the fundus but also on fluorescein and ICG angiographies and OCT. The first step (SPA-1) is to evaluate the interobserver agreement for AMD precursors. METHODS: The 30 items for AMD precursors, choroidal neovascularization and atrophy, were chosen from the literature. We selected 20 eyes from 20 consecutive patients affected by various forms of these precursors from the prospective NAT-2 study. Grading was based on color photographs of fundus, red-free frames, and fluorescein angiography. For each eye, five grids were filled in by four independent, experienced readers from our reading center and one expert. Within-subject variance was studied. RESULTS: Within subject variance showed the greatest agreement between graders for drusenoid pigment epithelial detachment (variance=0.000). The worst value for within subject variance (0.255) was recorded for the item "intermediate drusen between 5 and 20." CONCLUSION: This evaluation of our first grid for AMD precursors shows high agreement between graders for most of the items. The item with the lowest agreement should be modified according to the comments of the physicians. This grid could be implemented for phenotypic classification of ARM and AMD in future clinical or genetic studies.

[Surgical treatment of persistent macular edema in retinal vein occlusion]. / Traitement chirurgical de l'oedème maculaire persistant des occlusions veineuses rétiniennes.

INTRODUCTION: Persistent macular edema (ME) is the main cause of poor visual outcome in nonischemic retinal vein occlusion (RVO). The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of surgery in this disorder. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective nonrandomized comparative pilot study. Visual acuity measurement, fluorescein angiography, and optical coherence tomography were performed before and after treatment, at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. RESULTS: The study included 42 eyes: 15 eyes underwent vitrectomy with peeling of the posterior hyaloid and/or the internal limiting membrane, 19 received intravitreous injection of triamcinolone (IVT), and four had a combination of both treatments. In the vitrectomy group, 63% of the eyes showed a progressive decrease of ME throughout the year of follow-up (p<0.05 at 1 month and 1 year) and an increase in visual acuity (p<0.05 at 3 and 6 months); no complication occurred. In the IVT group, the eyes showed a rapid improvement in vision and in ME at 1 month (p=0.007 and p=0.001, respectively) but with a frequent ME recurrence at 4 months; however, 31% of eyes showed durable improvement. Complications after IVT were pseudo-endophthalmitis (one eye), transient hypertony (53%), and a full-thickness macular hole (one eye). In the group treated with vitrectomy combined with IVT, ME decreased rapidly and durably, but vision did not improve in this small subgroup of long-lasting RVO with prior pigment epithelial changes. CONCLUSION: In some eyes, vitrectomy seems to have a more durable effect than IVT alone. Further randomized and controlled studies are needed to confirm these results and to compare them to the natural course of the disease.