Abilities of circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and vascular density to discriminate stages in primary open-angle glaucoma.

PURPOSE: To clarify the abilities of circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (cpRNFLT) obtained by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and circumpapillary vessel density (cpVD) measured by OCT-angiography to distinguish different stages in primary open-angle glaucoma determined by 24-2 or 30-2 static visual field (VF) testing. METHODS: This retrospective study includes 25 healthy normal eyes of 25 subjects and 87 primary open-angle glaucoma eyes of 87 patients. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) were evaluated for determining glaucoma stages using cpRNFLT and cpVD. The absolute errors of the estimated mean total deviation (mTD) using optimal models with cpRNFLT and cpVD were also compared. RESULTS: The AUROCs for discriminating glaucomatous eyes from normal eyes was significantly higher for cpRNFLT than the respective AUROCs for cpVD (0.969 [95% CI 0.939 to 0.998] vs. 0.872 [95% CI 0.806 to 0.938], p = 0.006), whereas cpVD had significantly higher AUROC for discriminating severe glaucoma eyes from moderate glaucoma eyes than cpRNFLT (0.771 [95% CI 0.655 to 0.886] vs. 0.578 [95% CI 0.420 to 0.736], p = 0.022). The mean absolute error in estimating mTD using both cpRNFLT and cpVD was significantly less than the error using cpRNFLT alone (4.56 ± 3.76 dB vs. 5.39 ± 4.00 dB, p = 0.027). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that cpVD is better for follow-ups after moderate stage. The combination of cpRNFLT and cpVD may improve VF estimation compared to cpRNFLT alone.

Narrowing Ratio of Retinal Veins at Arteriovenous Crossing in Patients With Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion Versus That in Healthy Individuals.

Purpose: This cross-sectional study aimed to clarify the differences in the retinal venous narrowing ratio (VNR) at retinal arteriovenous crossing by optical coherence tomography (OCT) among the eyes with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO), fellow eyes of patients with BRVO, and eyes of individuals without BRVO and to determine factors that influence the VNR. Methods: We studied 31 eyes of young participants, 54 eyes of an older control group, 56 fellow eyes of patients with BRVO, and 48 eyes with BRVO. Cross-sectional OCT images were used to determine the VNR at two arteriovenous crossings per eye. Results: Overall, 378 arteriovenous crossings were analyzed. The VNR of arterial overcrossings of fellow eyes (27.7% ± 11.1%) and BRVO eyes (27.3% ± 9.76%) were significantly higher than those in the young (16.0% ± 7.9%, all P < 0.001) and control (22.0% ± 8.81%, P < 0.001, P = 0.003, respectively) groups. The VNR of arterial overcrossings was significantly larger than that of venous overcrossings (24.0% ± 10.5% vs. 20.6% ± 13.0%, P = 0.021). A linear mixed-effects model showed that the VNR was significantly higher in arterial overcrossings, crossings with larger arterial internal diameters, smaller venous internal diameters, and participants with older age and a BRVO history. Conclusions: The VNR in arterial overcrossings was higher in BRVO eyes and even in the fellow eyes. Thus, a higher VNR in arterial overcrossings may contribute to BRVO development, and crossings with factors contributing to higher VNR might be associated with a risk of BRVO.

Administration of Enfortumab Vedotin after Immune-Checkpoint Inhibitor and the Prognosis in Japanese Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma: A Large Database Study on Enfortumab Vedotin in Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Enfortumab vedotin shows promise as a targeted therapy for advanced urothelial carcinoma, particularly in patients who have previously received platinum-based chemotherapy and an immune-checkpoint inhibitor. The EV-301 phase III trial demonstrated significantly improved overall survival and response rates compared to standard chemotherapy. However, more data, especially from larger real-world studies, are needed to further assess its effectiveness in Japanese patients. METHODS: A total of 6007 urothelial cancer patients inducted with pembrolizumab as a second-line treatment were analyzed. Among them, 563 patients received enfortumab vedotin after pembrolizumab, while 443 patients received docetaxel or paclitaxel after pembrolizumab, and all were included in the study for efficacy as a life prolonging agent. RESULTS: The enfortumab vedotin group showed a longer overall survival than the paclitaxel/docetaxel group (p = 0.013, HR: 0.71). In multivariate analysis, enfortumab vedotin induction was the independent risk factor for overall survival (p = 0.013, HR: 0.70). There were no significant differences in cancer-specific survival. CONCLUSIONS: Enfortumab vedotin prolonged the overall survival for Japanese advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma patients compared to paclitaxel or docetaxel after pembrolizumab treatment.

[EFFICACY OF SCHEDULED INTRAVENOUS OR ORAL ACETAMINOPHEN ADMINISTRATION AFTER ROBOTIC-ASSISTED LAPAROSCOPIC RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY].

(Purpose) To determine the efficacy of scheduled intravenous or oral acetaminophen administration after robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RARP) in our hospital. (Subjects and methods) We retrospectively analyzed 173 patients who underwent RARP at our hospital between April 2019 and December 2020. The patients were divided into three groups (A, B, and C) according to the use of postoperative analgesia. Group A patients were administered acetaminophen only when needed. Group B patients were administered intravenous acetaminophen every 6 h from the day of surgery to postoperative day 2. Group C patients were prescribed oral acetaminophen from 3 to 7 days postoperatively in addition to being administered intravenous acetaminophen (similar to group B). Multivariate analysis was performed to determine whether scheduled intravenous or oral acetaminophen administration reduced unscheduled analgesic use. (Results) There were 110, 33, and 30 patients in groups A, B, and C, respectively. Significant differences in lymph node dissection rates were observed between groups A and B (70.9% vs 36.4%; P=0.001) and groups A and C (70.9% vs 33.3%; P< 0.001); furthermore, significant differences in the frequency of preoperative androgen blockade therapy were observed between groups A and C (20% vs 3.3%; P=0.029). Logistic regression analysis showed that only scheduled intravenous and oral administration of acetaminophen on postoperative days 0 to 2 was an independent factor for postoperative pain (group A vs group B: OR=0.127; 0.046-0.355; P< 0.001 and group A vs group C: OR=0.133; 0.046-0.390; P< 0.001). On postoperative days 3 to 7, there was no significant difference in the unscheduled use of analgesics between groups A and B. Only 1 of the 30 group C patients received unscheduled analgesia. (Conclusions) Scheduled intravenous or oral administration of acetaminophen may reduce unscheduled analgesic use after RARP.

[Clear Cell Variant of Invasive Urothelial Carcinoma of the Renal Pelvis: A Case Report].

A 74-year-old woman with gross hematuria for 3 months was referred to our hospital. Contrast-enhanced computed tomographic scan showed a mass on the upper-right renal calyx, and retrograde pyelography showed stenoses from the renal pelvis to the renal calyx infundibulum. We performed an endoscopic biopsy, which led to a diagnosis of urothelial cancer. Therefore, she underwent total right nephroureterectomy, and pathological examination revealed a clear cell variant of invasive urothelial carcinoma. Irradiation was performed mainly on the renal arteriovenous stump 2 months postoperatively; subsequently, three courses of combination chemotherapy comprising gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) were administered. Port-site recurrence and pelvic recurrence were observed 22 months after the operation, and GC therapy and pembrolizumab were administered. However she died 36 months after the operation. The clear cell variant of invasive urothelial carcinoma of the upper urethra is rarely reported. Moreover, since this was a very rare case, we have included a literature review in our report.

[A Case of Ureteral Sciatic Hernia Improved by Indwelling a Ureteral Stent].

A 75-year-old woman visited our hospital with left lumber pain and fever. Symptoms, and computed tomography imaging revealed left pyelonephritis. Then she was admitted to our hospital for treatment. She improved with tazobactam and piperacillin PIPC infusion immediately and was discharged from the hospital. After that she visited our hospital twice with the same symptoms and was given hospital treatment. A second retrograde pyelography (RP) was performed urgently, and the diagnosis was left ureteral sciatic hernia. Then we placed a left ureteral stent. Three months later, we confirmed that the hydronephrosis was improved and removed the stent. Six months after stent removal, recurrence has not been observed.

[A Case of Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis during Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Treatment].

A 65-year-old man received docetaxel for prostate cancer. Eight months later, we observed abdominal free air and pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis by computed tomography. Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis can be caused by various etiologies. However, in the present case, multiple factors could have contributed and we could not specify the exact cause. We reduced the dose of steroid hormone, stopped docetaxel, and followed the patient conservatively with oral antibiotics. The pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis and free air resolved promptly.

[Case of post-stroke dementia after left medial occipitoparietal lesion].

We report herein a patient of poststroke dementia (PSD) following left medial occipitoparietal hemorrhage triggered by drainage of an acute traumatic subdural hematoma. The patient, an independent 73-year-old man, became dependent due to dementia. Cognitive dysfunction was characterized by moderately decreased IQ, severe memory disturbances, topographical disorientation, executive dysfunction and loss of self-awareness. Cognitive dysfunction has not advanced for 3 years. Hypo-perfusion in the whole brain, particularly in the left temporal and parietal regions, was visible on 123I-IMP SPECT images. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated damage to the left posterior cingulate cortex, cingulate bundle, superior parietal lobule and subcortical region of the occipital lobe. The fornix was spared. Some subcortical small spotted lesions were detected, but periventricular lucency was not prominent. Structures known to be important in memory but spared by the lesion included the thalamus and basal forebrain. Small spotted subcortical lesions were detected in bilateral hippocampi, which are also known to be important in memory, but these were probably silent lesions. This case suggested that dementia is brought on by the lesion of the left posterior cingulate bundle and retrosplenial cortex causing amnesia by disrupting the cingulate-hippocampal connection or the retrosplenial cortex itself, with the lesion of the left occipitoparietal subcortex causing frontal dysfunction by disrupting the dorsal limbic pathway and occipitofrontal fasciculus of the prefrontal circuits.