Posttraumatic endophthalmitis.

Nineteen consecutive cases of culture-proved posttraumatic endophthalmitis occurred. Over an eight-year period, 19 (7.4%) of 257 patients with penetrating trauma had endophthalmitis develop, and 19 (31.1%) of 61 cases of endophthalmitis were due to trauma. Eleven (10.7%) of 103 patients with intraocular foreign bodies had endophthalmitis develop. Final visual acuity was 20/200 or better in eight (42.1%) of 19 and 20/30 or better in five (26.3%) of 19 cases of posttraumatic endophthalmitis. Organisms cultured were similar to those in the other types of endophthalmitis, except that Bacillus species were seen only in posttraumatic endophthalmitis (five [26.3%] of 19). Virulent organisms or retinal breaks or detachments seen at the time of primary repair indicated poor prognoses.

Retinal telangiectasia secondary to bilateral carotid artery occlusion.

A man complaining of blurred vision had diffuse retinal capillary telangiectasia as a primary retinal finding. Evaluation of the carotid arteries by a noninvasive angiographic method revealed bilateral, silent occlusions of both common carotid arteries. Thus, some cases of "idiopathic retinal capillary telangiectasia" may in fact be harbingers of underlying carotid artery disease.

Serous choroidal detachment after retinal detachment surgery.

In a prospective evaluation of 154 consecutive retinal detachment procedures, the incidence of choroidal detachment was 39.6%. The age of the patient, drainage of subretinal fluid, and vortex compression by the explant seem to be the most important correlative factors. Scleral explants up to one quadrant in circumferential length produced a minimal incidence (7.7%) of choroidal detachment. Posterior positioning of the explant also affected the incidence of choroidal detachment. After follow-up, ranging from six to 48 months, postoperative visual acuity was recorded for "macula-on" as well as "macula-off" retinal detachments. In the macula-on group, 78.6% of the patients with choroidal detachment retained a visual acuity of 20/50 or better compared with 82.8% of the patients without choroidal detachment. In the macula-off group, 43.2% of the patients with choroidal detachment achieved a visual acuity of 20/50 or better compared with 55.1% of the patients without choroidal detachment. The final anatomic success rate was 86.5% for eyes with choroidal detachment and 92.3% for eyes without choroidal detachment.

Vascular leakage, neovascularization, and vitreous hemorrhage in senile bullous retinoschisis.

Retinal detachment is the primary complication of bullous retinoschisis, a benign abnormality of the peripheral retina. We examined three patients (all women, 43, 55, and 56 years old) with typical bullous retinoschisis who had vitreous hemorrhage. In each case, there were sclerotic retinal vessels over the surface of the schisis cavity along with neovascularization above the central portion of the cyst. In one case there was also neovascularization of the peripheral retina in an area distant from the schisis. These findings were confirmed by fluorescein angiography in one case; the other two cases demonstrated similar changes by fluorescein angioscopy. Fluorescein angiography, also demonstrated intraretinal dye leakage from vessels along the posterior extent of the schisis, as well as from an adjacent area of white without pressure.

Ischemic optic neuropathy associated with Crohn's disease.

A 24-year-old man with Crohn's disease suffered bilateral ischemic optic neuropathy following the resolution of an episode of "uveitis." Additional findings of corneal infiltrates, vitritis, retinovascular sheathing, and arthritis suggest an inflammatory basis for his ischemic optic neuropathy. Vasculitis as an extraintestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease is a possible etiology. To our knowledge, the association of ischemic optic neuropathy and inflammatory bowel disease has not been previously reported.

Surgical results in ocular trauma involving the posterior segment.

Of 106 eyes with trauma involving the posterior segment, 12 could not be repaired, 74 were treated with vitrectomy, and 20 without vitrectomy. Fifty-five eyes (52%) achieved functional success (defined as a final visual acuity of 6/30 [20/100] or better or as a postoperative improvement in visual acuity from light perception or worse to 6/240 [5/200] or better), 16 (15%) attained anatomic success (attached retinas and generally clear media) but were functional failures, and 35 (33%) were both anatomic and functional failures. The prognosis was better in cases with intraocular foreign bodies and worse in cases with retinal detachments, marked vitreous hemorrhage, and large scleral lacerations. Traumatic involvements of the lens did not appear to affect the prognosis. Prophylactic scleral buckling appeared to lessen the incidence of postoperative retinal detachment. The eyes that underwent vitrectomy within 14 days of the injury had a better final visual outcome than those that underwent later vitrectomy.

Erythrocyte - endothelial cell adherence in sickle cell disease, diabetes mellitus, and falciparum malaria: adverse effects reversed with piracetam.

The erythrocytes of patients with sickle hemoglobin, diabetes, and Falciparum malaria adhere disproportionately to endothelial cells. Such pathophysiological activity compromises the microcirculation and results in clinical disease. Since Piracetam (2-oxo-1 pyrrolidine acetamide) has been shown to have a number of clinically beneficial actions on the formed elements of the blood including disengagement of adherent diabetic and sickle erythrocytes there is a rational basis for the trial of Piracetam as an adjuvant drug in SS disease and in diabetes mellitus to improve function of the microcirculation. For similar but somewhat more complex reasons Piracetam may potentiate the efficacy of anti-malarial drugs at any given dosage. Piracetam, a drug known to be safe in a decade of clinical usage, merits serious study in the 3 cited diseases.

Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis--rational diagnosis and treatment predicated and disordered prostaglandin metabolism.

We suggest that polymyalgia rheumatica with giant cell arteritis (PR-GCA) is an arachidonic acid metabolites mediated disease which can be diagnosed more accurately and monitored more precisely for therapeutic benefits by the serial determinations of the major urinary prostaglandin F, serum urinary lysozymes, serum acid phosphatase, and serum angiotensin converting enzyme rather than by the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and, when necessary by temporal artery biopsy. The pathogenetic role proposed for prostaglandins (PG) and, even more precisely perhaps, the leukotrienes in this disease is consistent with the several published clinical observations that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug treatment produces in some cases a therapeutic paradox of symptomatic relief with concurrent, if clinically silent, progression of the arteritis, even to blindness. Furthermore, the impressive response of PR-GCA to low maintenance dose steroid therapy, a clinical conundrum for decades, is rationally explained on the basis of depressed or obstructed PG metabolism early on in the metabolic cascade. These views warrant clinical evaluation, confirmation or correction in whole or in part, and may increase our understanding of PR-GCA.

Cystoid macular edema after retinal detachment surgery.

One hundred eyes in 98 patients were studied by fluorescein angiography and stereo color photography six weeks after successful scleral buckling surgery. Twenty-five percent of 67 phakic eyes and 40% of 33 aphakic eyes demonstrated cystoid macular edema. Older phakic patients were at significantly greater risk to develop cystoid macular edema than younger phakic patients. Seventeen percent of successfully repaired eyes demonstrated distortion of the macula by preretinal membranes; 16 of these 17 eyes showed leakage of fluorescein dye into the surrounding retina sometimes also causing cystoid edema. Either cystoid macular edema or macular distortion was present in 38% of the phakic eyes and 64% of the phakic eyes after successful retinal detachment surgery.

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment complicating cytomegalovirus retinitis.

Six eyes in four patients with cytomegalovirus retinitis developed retinal holes and retinal detachment. Holes appeared in areas of necrosis and were typically large and round with shaggy edges. Differentiation from exudative detachment was sometimes difficult because of obscuration of the fundus by vitreous haze. Cryotherapy was successful in closing open breaks without detachment; cryotherapy and exoplant surgery were used effectively to treat the initial detachments. The occurrence of massive periretinal proliferation and late development of new areas of hole formation or retinitis complicated therapy for these detachments.

Astrocytic hamartoma of the retina not associated with tuberous sclerosis.

A 6-year-old boy had a peripapillary lesion diagnosed as retinal astrocytic hamartoma, which was not associated with tuberous sclerosis, neurofibromatosis, or intraocular extension of a glioma. The patient was observed for nine years, during which time the lesion grew significantly. Because of this growth and the evidence of proximal optic nerve involvement on computed tomography, radiation therapy was administered with a resultant marked reduction in visual acuity. The eye was subsequently enucleated. The enucleated eye was studied by both light and transmission electron microscopy. The specimen had a retinal astrocytic hamartoma with sparse vascularization and only superficial optic nerve involvement. Additionally, it revealed optic nerve drusen in varying stages of development, significant accumulations of subretinal macrophages, and an almost total loss of retinal outer segments with the preservation of the retinal pigment epithelium.

Anterior segment necrosis following treatment of central retinal artery occlusion: a clinicopathologic case report.

A 45-year-old man with an internal carotid artery occlusion, cerebral hemispheric infarction, and an ipsilateral central retinal artery occlusion developed anterior segment necrosis after retrobulbar injection of lidocaine hydrochloride (Xylocaine) for treatment of an occlusion of the central retinal artery. Multiple embolic plaques in the retinal circulation with occlusion of the posterior ciliary arteries were found. The clinical and postmortem histopathologic findings are presented.

Necrotizing vaso-occlusive retinitis.

We studied two adult patients with fulminating, necrotizing vaso-occlusive retinitis, and documented the progressive course of retinal necrosis, vitreoretinal interface contraction, and consequent retinal detachment. The systemic criteria for Behçet's disease were present in one patient, and partially fulfilled in the second.