Cost-utility model of new intravitreous units vs. current patient journey model in Spain

AIM

To compare the effectiveness and costs of the implementation of the Intravitreal Therapy Unit Model, endorsed by the SERV, SECA, SEO and SEDISA, compared to the usual procedure.

METHOD

Analytical decision model that compares an UTI-type healthcare organization with 4 usual practice scenarios in Spain, in terms of quality-of-life results due to loss of visual acuity and the use of resources. The probability, cost, and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were estimated for each scenario proposed. A univariate sensitivity analysis was performed for each of the parameters used in the model.

RESULT

The model showed that from any of the initial scenarios of the usual practice, transitioning to the UTI-type implementation improves the quality of life of patients and requires lower cost. UTI-type is dominant respect usual practice. The sensitivity analysis showed that the results would not change sign with the variation of any starting variable.

CONCLUSIONS

Shorten suspicion-needle times is key to maintaining functional vision in patients requiring intravitreal treatment. The UTI-type model seeks the efficiency of ophthalmology services and can produce savings that vary between Є175 and Є85 per patient attended per year.

Retinal age as a predictive biomarker of the diabetic retinopathy grade

OBJECTIVE

To apply artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, through deep learning algorithms, for the development and optimization of a system for predicting the age of a person based on a color retinography and to study a possible relationship between the evolution of retinopathy diabetes and premature aging of the retina.

METHODS

A convolutional network was trained to calculate the age of a person based on a retinography. Said training was carried out on a set of retinographies of patients with diabetes previously divided into three subsets (training, validation and test). The difference between the chronological age of the patient and the biological age of the retina was defined as the retinal age gap.

RESULTS

A set of 98,400 images was used for the training phase, 1,000 images for the validation phase and 13,544 for the test phase. The retinal gap of the patients without DR was 0.609 years and that of the patients with DR was 1,905 years (p < 0.001), with the distribution by degree of DR being: mild DR: 1,541 years, moderate DR: 3,017 years, DR severe: 3,117 years and proliferative DR: 8,583 years.

CONCLUSIONS

The retinal age gap shows a positive mean difference between diabetics with DR versus those without DR, and it increases progressively, according to the degree of DR. These results could indicate the existence of a relationship between the evolution of the disease and premature aging of the retina.

Assessment of the perception of healthcare barriers and the impact of intravitreal injections on neovascular age-related macular degeneration

AIM

To evaluate the perception of barriers in healthcare and the impact of intravitreal injections in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

METHODS

Cross-sectional study including 108 patients with nAMD in treatment with intravitreal injections. The patients answered a questionnaire with 26 questions (score from 1 to 5) divided in three sections: 1) the disease and its treatment with injections, 2) healthcare barriers and 3) new technologies.

RESULTS

The mean age was 80.4 ± 7.0 years and visual acuity (VA) was 75.2 ± 12.4 letters. The main barriers in healthcare were long waiting times (72%), followed by other comorbidities (10%). Some 63% of patients have to wait between 3 and 5 h to attend their clinical visit. Significant anxiety due to the injections (2.8 ± 1.3) was observed, being present in 71% of the cases the day before. A great fear of blindness and losing independence was observed (4.4 ± 0.9 and 4.3 ± 1.1), with no differences in relation to VA, age or sex (p ≥ 0.135). Moreover, 28% of the patients reported that it was quite or very difficult for them to attend the clinical visit, with 69% of the total showing great interest in having a diagnostic device at home.

CONCLUSION

The nAMD and its treatment represent a significant burden on patients, among whom there is a great fear of blindness and of losing their independence, the main barrier being the long waiting time for the clinical visit.

Assessment of vision-related quality of life and depression and anxiety rates in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration

PURPOSE

To assess the vision-related quality of life and the depression and anxiety rates in patients with neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration (nAMD).

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of patients with nAMD treated with intravitreal injections was performed. The patients completed two validated questionnaires: the Visual Functioning Questionnaire (VFQ-25, score from 0 to 100), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire. Age, gender and visual acuity (VA) in the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) scale was registered.

RESULTS

Fifty-five patients with nAMD participated with a mean age of 80.9 ± 6.6 years-old (range 67-93) and a mean VA in the best eye of 73.5 ± 12.7 letters (range 44-95). The global VFQ-25 mean score was 57.4 ± 21.9 being 38.9 ± 13.2 for the general vision and 42.0 ± 19.5 for the general health. VA in the best eye was associated with the global score of the VFQ-25 scale (R = 0.608; P < .001), but no correlation was observed with general health (P = .936). In the HADS scale, 26.9% and 25.5% of patients had symptoms of depression and anxiety respectively. A negative correlation was found between the HADS and VFQ-25 scales for the general vision score (R = -0.438).

CONCLUSION

This study elucidates the impact of vision impairment and the visual functioning in nAMD, describing an important rate of depression and anxiety symptoms.

Update on the management of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy

Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is one of the main causes of impaired visual acuity in patients younger than 60 years. Its pathophysiology remains partially unknown, although it has been postulated that choroidal hyper-permeability may be involved. This typically produces a neurosensory retinal detachment and/or a detachment of the retinal pigment epithelium in the posterior pole. Although acute CSC generally does not require treatment, when chronic it must be treated to avoid visual impairment. With the development of new imaging techniques, there has been an improvement in diagnosis, and different therapeutic strategies have been proposed. Various treatments for the management of chronic CSC have currently been shown to be useful to improve or stabilise visual acuity, the resolution of subretinal fluid, and to prevent recurrences. The most commonly used treatments today are photodynamic therapy, micropulse subthreshold laser, mineralocorticoid antagonists, or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs. There are also other proposals and new treatments being developed, with promising results. This review aims to provide the reader with an overview of the current scientific evidence of the different treatment options available for CSC in order to help decision-making in clinical practice.

[Oct parameters as predictive factors for the visual outcome after ranibizumab therapy in neovascular age related macular degeneration]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate macular morphological parameters measured by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) as predictive factors of visual outcome in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treated with ranibizumab.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted on 47 patients diagnosed with exudative AMD and treated with intravitreal ranibizumab for twelve months. Central retinal thickness (CRT), extension and thickness of modifications secondary to neovascular process, and status of the bands corresponding to the external limiting membrane (ELM) and to the ellipsoid region of the photoreceptors (ISe) were evaluated by means of SD-OCT. The relationship between these variables and visual acuity was analyzed by statistical methods.

RESULTS

At the time of the diagnosis, preservation of ELM and ISe bands, and CRT were correlated with initial visual acuity. Twelve months later, CRT and visual acuity were independent parameters. Bivariate relationship analysis showed a correlation between final visual acuity and the following parameters: initial CRT, initial ISe and ELM status, and ISe and ELM integrity after loading dose. Multiple regression analysis indicated that initial visual acuity and ISe band status after loading dose have a predictive value for final visual acuity.

CONCLUSIONS

The status of ISe and ELM bands after twelve months of treatment with ranibizumab was associated with visual outcome. Initial visual acuity and status of the ISe band after loading dose are prognostic factors of final visual acuity.

Acute glaucoma in a patient with an Artisan® due to trabecular blockage after combined intravitreal treatment for macular oedema

CASE REPORT

We present a 71-year-old patient with an Artisan(®) implant and macular oedema associated with unsatisfactory response to repeated intravitreal corticosteroids. An intravitreal Trigon(®) and Avastin(®) combined injection was given, and acute glaucoma developed. Anterior chamber washout was performed to resolve the rise in intraocular pressure. In spite of an excellent macular response, this was only temporary, and the corneal endothelium, which had remained competent so far, suffered irreversible damage.

DISCUSSION

The combination of both treatments, along with the particular anatomic features in these patients, may have been precipitating factors in this unfortunate outcome.

Combined Pegaptanib sodium (Macugen) and photodynamic therapy in predominantly classic juxtafoveal choroidal neovascularisation in age related macular degeneration

AIMS

This prospective, open label, non-comparative, observational case series evaluates 6-month results of Pegaptanib Sodium (Macugen) and Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) in predominantly classic juxtafoveal choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in seven eyes of seven patients.

RESULTS

Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) diminished with a mean of five letters. Initial area of CNV increased significantly from 1.4 mm2 to 2.7 mm2. There was a significant increase in the greatest linear dimension (GLD) from 1280.3 microm to 2065.7 microm at the 24-week follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Predominantly classic juxtafoveal CNVs are highly aggressive lesions that demonstrate poor response despite combined therapy using PDT and Macugen.

[Photodynamic therapy in severe chronic central serous chorioretinopaty]

OBJECTIVE

To determine the efficacy of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) in chronic Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSC).

METHODS

Patients diagnosed with chronic CSC, with clinical evidence of activity and treated with Photodynamic Therapy, are included in this report. All were assessed by a complete ophthalmological examination, including assessment of the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) using an ETDRS chart, fluorescein and indocyanine angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT). The main objective of the study was to determine the mean visual acuity change.

RESULTS

11 eyes of 11 patients were included in the study, which had a mean follow-up period of 11 months. The mean BCVA increased from 20/76 to 20/64. 35% of eyes improved their BCVA by 2 lines or more, 45% remained stable and 18% lost 2 lines or more. Choroidal hyperpermeability was reduced in every case. Neurosensorial retinal detachment decreased in 80% of cases. Only one eye received a second PDT treatment due to choroidal neovascularization. An increase of atrophy over the Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) was observed in another patient.

CONCLUSIONS

PDT can reduce the clinical signs of activity, such as choroidal hyperpermeability or neurosensorial retinal detachment, in patients affected by chronic CSC. However, the increase in visual acuity is variable, probably due to the extent of RPE damage.

[Photodynamic therapy in angioid streaks]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of photodynamic therapy in choroidal neovascularization associated with angioid streaks.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective study of eleven eyes (eight patients) with subfoveal, juxtafoveal or extrafoveal neovascularization, which received at least one session of photodynamic therapy. Treatment efficacy was evaluated by visual acuity (VA) testing, color photography and fluorescein angiography. The mean follow-up was 13.2 months.

RESULTS

Ten eyes presented subfoveal neovascularization, one eye presented juxtafoveal and another eye extrafoveal neovascularization. VA was unchanged in two patients, increased in one patient, and decreased in eight patients following photodynamic therapy. Nine eyes presented conversion to a fibrotic disciform lesion, whereas leakage persisted in two eyes after one session of photodynamic therapy. Recurrence of choroidal neovascularization appeared in three eyes.

CONCLUSIONS

Photodynamic therapy in choroidal neovascularization related to angioid streaks does not appear to alter the course of this disease, but it does slow its progression.

[Bilateral papilledema secondary to chronic lymphocytic leukaemia]

CASE REPORT

We present the case of a 65-year-old man who was seen in the casualty department complaining of bilateral visual loss. His past medical history was unremarkable except for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia diagnosed two years previously: he was no longer receiving treatment for this disorder. His visual acuity was 20/200 in the right eye and 20/63 in the left eye and he had a bilateral papilledema. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and orbit were performed and showed an infiltrative mass in the orbit with extension to the ethmoid bone and both optic nerves. Biopsy of the mass was compatible with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

DISCUSSION

Leukaemic infiltration of the optic nerve and central nervous system is a rare complication of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, although it is common in the acute forms of this disease. Optic nerve infiltration is the most important ophthalmologic manifestation of leukaemia because it threatens vision and it is treatable.