Early Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Findings in Unilateral Acute Idiopathic Maculopathy

Unilateral acute idiopathic maculopathy (UAIM) is a rare disorder presenting in young people with an acute onset of unilateral central visual loss often associated with a prodromal flu-like illness. The authors present the early anatomical findings of a 35-year-old man clinically diagnosed with UAIM using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and SS-OCT angiography.

Evaluation of lateral spread of transgene expression following subretinal AAV-mediated gene delivery in dogs

Dog models with spontaneously occurring mutations in retinal dystrophy genes are an invaluable resource for preclinical development of retinal gene therapy. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors have been most successful; to target the outer retina and RPE they are delivered by subretinal injection, causing a temporary retinal detachment with some potential for retinal morbidity. A recent reporter gene study using an AAV2/8 vector in dogs reported transgene expression beyond the boundary of the subretinal bleb. This could be a desirable feature which increases the area of retina treated while minimizing the retinal detachment and any associated morbidity. We performed a detailed study of the lateral spread of transgene expression beyond the subretinal injection site following subretinally delivered AAV vectors in normal dogs. Vectors expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP) using a small chicken beta-actin promoter. AAV2/2 (quadruple tyrosine to phenylalanine (Y-F) capsid mutant), self-complementary (sc) AAV2/8 (single Y-F capsid mutant) and a scAAV2/5 were used. We found that in all eyes GFP expression involved retina beyond the initial post-injection subretinal bleb boundary. In all eyes there was post-injection spread of the retinal detachment within the first 3 days post procedure and prior to retinal reattachment. In 11/16 eyes this accounted for the entire "lateral spread" of GFP expression while in 5/16 eyes a very slight extension of GFP expression beyond the final boundary of the subretinal bleb could be detected. All 3 AAV constructs induced GFP expression in the nerve fiber layer with spread to the optic nerve. Patients treated by subretinal injection should be monitored for possible expansion of the subretinal injection bleb prior to reattachment. Injections in the para-foveal region may expand to lead to a foveal detachment that may be undesirable. Cell-specific promoters may be required to limit spread of expressed transgene to the brain with these AAV serotypes.

Occurrence of human papillomavirus in pterygia

PURPOSE

The aim of the study was to assess the occurrence of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in pterygium.

METHODS

The study involved 89 patients undergoing surgical procedures at the Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland. Group 1 included 58 patients with clinically diagnosed pterygium. Group 2 consisted of 31 individuals with normal conjunctiva. The material was collected during elective surgical procedures. The presence of HPV genome was determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Once the presence of HPV DNA was confirmed, 28 HPV genotypes were determined using reverse hybridization.

RESULTS

The determinations confirmed the presence of HPV DNA in pterygium. In the material collected from 58 cases of pterygium (group 1), HPV DNA was identified in 16 patients (27.6%). In the material from 31 diagnostic specimens of normal conjunctiva (group 2), the presence of HPV was demonstrated in three cases (9.7%). A statistically significant difference was found in the presence of HPV DNA between the patients from groups 1 and 2 (p = 0.041). HPV type 16 was most common and was demonstrated in 56% of HPV-positive cases of pterygium. HPV 16 and HPV 6 co-infections were found in 19% of cases, while HPV 18 and HPV 6 co-infections were observed in 13%. In group 2, all three patients with HPV showed HPV 18.

CONCLUSION

It seems that HPV is not necessary to induce pterygium; however, it might play a synergistic role in the multi-stage process of its development.

Pars plana vitrectomy with silicone oil or gas endotamponade in HIV-related rhegmatogenous retinal detachments in Thai patients

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy and results of pars plana vitrectomy with endotamponade for retinal detachments caused by necrotizing retinitis in HIV patients.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The data of patients with HIV-related retinal detachment who underwent pars plana vitrectomy with silicone oil or gas endotamponade between January 2003 and June 2005 were retrospectively reviewed The outcome measures were demographic data, anatomical, and visual results.

RESULTS

Of all 24 eyes from 20 patients, 19 eyes underwent pars plana vitrectomy with silicone oil tamponade and 5 eyes with long-acting gas tamponade. Mean follow up time was 13 months (range 2-33 months). The overall anatomical success was 83% (84% and 80% with silicone oil and gas tamponade, respectively). Final best corrected visual acuity was equal or better than 5/200 in 12 eyes (50%). Forty-six percent had stabled or improved vision at the end of follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Pars plana vitrectomy with silicone oil or gas tamponade gives the high anatomical success rate in the repair of retinal detachments caused by necrotizing retinitis in HIV patients. There were the same reattachment rate and visual results between the two tamponade groups. However, the use of gas tamponade may be effective in patients with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

Incidence and management of cataract after retinal detachment repair with silicone oil in immune compromised patients with cytomegalovirus retinitis

PURPOSE

To determine the incidence of and risk factors for cataract and to describe the visual outcomes of cataract surgery in eyes with cytomegalovirus-related retinal detachments repaired with silicone oil.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

METHODS

A prospectively generated database of all patients with cytomegalovirus retinitis examined at a single tertiary care institution was used to identify all cases of retinal detachment between October 1983 and August 1997. Data on retinal detachment repair, development of cataract, and outcomes of cataract surgery were obtained retrospectively.

RESULTS

Among 904 eyes of 587 immune-compromised patients diagnosed with cytomegalovirus retinitis, 198 eyes of 155 patients developed retinal detachment. Among these, 106 eyes of 90 patients underwent retinal detachment repair with silicone oil. The Kaplan-Meier estimated median time to cataract was 1.8 months after surgery with silicone oil. The adjusted relative risk of cataract in eyes that underwent retinal detachment repair with silicone oil compared with eyes that did not was 6.74 (P <.0001). Eight of the eyes that developed cataract underwent uncomplicated cataract surgery by phacoemulsification and posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation. Among these, six eyes experienced >or=2 lines of improvement in visual acuity. All developed posterior capsule opacification a median of 7 days after cataract surgery. Four of five eyes that that underwent neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser capsulotomy experienced >or=2 lines improvement in visual acuity.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a high incidence of cataract after surgery with silicone oil tamponade for cytomegalovirus-related retinal detachment. Posterior capsule opacification occurs rapidly after cataract surgery in these patients.

Acute retinal necrosis following epidural steroid injections

PURPOSE

To report a side effect of epidural corticosteroid injections for back pain.

DESIGN

Case series.

METHODS

Review of clinical charts and photographs.

SETTING

Private retina practice.

RESULTS

Two patients developed acute retinal necrosis syndrome following epidural corticosteroid injections for back pain. Referral was delayed in one patient. One patient developed bilateral secondary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, and both developed secondary macular pucker.

CONCLUSIONS

Acute retinal necrosis can follow epidural corticosteroid injections. Patients should be warned about this possibility and advised to report should photopsias, photosensitivity, blurred vision, or new floaters develop after treatment. Orthopedists should be aware of the complication and promptly refer patients with symptoms for dilated fundus examination by an ophthalmologist.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 acute retinal necrosis in an immunocompetent patient

PURPOSE

To report a case of acute retinal necrosis caused by herpes simplex virus 2 in an otherwise healthy patient.

CASE REPORT

A 45-year-old man presented with one month's history of decreased vision in the right eye. He had previously received a course of intravenous gancyclovir because of a clinical suspicion of cytomegalovirus retinitis. The patient's ocular history was remarkable for a similar episode in the left eye thirty years earlier, resulting in important visual impairment. System and laboratory investigations were unremarkable. Ocular examination showed severe anterior granulomatous uveitis, vitreous haze, areas of necrosis and retinal exudates. The anterior chamber tap disclosed the presence of HSV type 2, and oral steroids and acyclovir were instituted. Two weeks after the patient had been discharged, a retinal detachment occurred in the right eye, necessitating surgical repair. The presence of HSV type 2 was confirmed in the vitreous. Visual acuity recovered completely after surgery and the patient was placed on a maintenance dose of oral acyclovir.

CONCLUSIONS

HSV type 2 is a rare cause of acute retinal necrosis in healthy patients. Bilateral involvement can occur in the fellow eye, even with a long delay. Acute retinal necrosis is a severe ocular inflammatory syndrome associated with a very poor visual outcome. It is caused by VZV, HSV type 1 and, less commonly, by HSV type 2. The disease can affect healthy patients and cause bilateral involvement in the fellow eye, even with a long delay.

Progressive outer retinal necrosis and acute retinal necrosis in fellow eyes of a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

PURPOSE

To describe an unusual concurrence of acute retinal necrosis and progressive outer retinal necrosis in fellow eyes of a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

METHODS

Interventional case report. In a 37-year-old man with AIDS and herpes zoster keratitis in the right eye, progressive outer retinal necrosis developed in the right eye and acute retinal necrosis developed in the left eye.

RESULTS

Disparate presentations of retinitis persisted in each eye, and retinal detachment and vision loss ensued in both eyes despite antiviral therapy.

CONCLUSION

Distinct features of acute retinal necrosis and progressive outer retinal necrosis do not necessarily reflect systemic factors, and they may be variant manifestations of the same underlying infection.

Herpes simplex virus type 2: a cause of acute retinal necrosis syndrome

PURPOSE

To describe a case of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) acute retinal necrosis syndrome (ARN) in a 13-year-old immunocompetent girl.

METHODS

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), cultures, flow cytometry, and cytology were performed on the vitreous sample.

RESULTS

Both PCR studies and vitreous cultures revealed HSV-2 as the cause of ARN. Flow cytometry showed CD4+, CD8+, and natural killer cells. The visual outcome of the patient was 20/200.

CONCLUSION

Successful culture of HSV-2 from the vitreous specimen in a patient with ARN proved HSV-2 to be one of the causes of ARN. The successful culture of HSV-2 has not been previously reported.

Detection of HIV-RNA in aqueous humor and subretinal fluid in an HIV carrier with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

BACKGROUND

Although human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related ocular complexes are commonly observed in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, it has not been previously reported that HIV had already invaded the ocular tissues of HIV carriers.

CASE

A 56-year-old woman was diagnosed as having rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with a retinal tear in the 6-o'clock position in her right eye. No signs of ocular manifestations except the retinal detachment were observed. A blood examination revealed that she was already infected with HIV-1, and she was categorized as an HIV carrier.

OBSERVATIONS

Aqueous humor and subretinal fluid samples were obtained at the time of surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and Southern blotting at three regions of the HIV, LTR, gag, and env, confirmed the HIV infection in both aqueous humor and subretinal fluid. During the approximately 2-year follow-up after surgery, the patient did not show any signs of retinitis, uveitis, or other ocular manifestations.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first report to reveal that HIV can invade the eye in the early stage of HIV infection. This infection may be related to HIV-related ocular complexes, which suppress the local immunological response.

Maternal intrauterine herpes simplex virus infection leading to persistent fetal vasculature

Herpes simplex virus can cause serious ocular and systemic disease in the neonate. The mode of transmission to the neonate is usually from the maternal birth canal to the fetus intrapartum; but much more rarely, hematogenous transplacental infection can affect the developing fetus months prior to birth. Persistent fetal vasculature occurs when there is persistence of the fetal ocular vasculature, which normally regresses prior to birth. To our knowledge, we report the first case of serologically proven intrauterine herpes simplex virus infection associated with bilateral persistent fetal vasculature in a surviving term infant. Arch Ophthalmol. 2000;118:837-840

Cytomegalovirus retinitis in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is the most common intra-ocular infection in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and a leading cause of AIDS-related morbidity. Untreated CMV retinitis in AIDS patients is a progressive and potentially blinding disorder. The diagnosis of CMV retinitis is a clinical one and it is important for physicians to be familiar with the clinical features of the disease. Ophthalmic screening of AIDS sufferers should be undertaken at regular intervals, and this is dictated, in part, by the patient's CD4+ T-lymphocyte (CD4) counts. CMV retinitis may be treated with systemic ganciclovir, foscarnet or cidofovir, or with local (intravitreal) therpy. CMV-related retinal detachment is treated surgically. In some patients with quiescent CMV retinitis receiving highly active anti-retroviral therapy, anti-CMV maintenance therapy may be discontinued in favour of close ophthalmologic observation and CD4 count monitoring.

Surgical repair of cytomegalovirus-related retinal detachment without silicone oil in patients with AIDS

PURPOSE

To analyze visual and anatomic results following surgical repair of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-related retinal detachment (RD) without silicone oil permanent tamponade.

METHODS

We analyzed five consecutive patients (six eyes) with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and CMV-related RD that were repaired with pars plana vitrectomy with peeling of the posterior hyaloid, laser photocoagulation, encircling scleral buckle, and intraocular gas tamponade.

RESULTS

Preoperative vision ranged from 20/40 to hand motion. Total retinal reattachment was achieved in five of six eyes (83%). Macular reattachment was achieved in all eyes. Mean postoperative visual acuity was 20/40 (range 20/30-20/60). Mean postoperative follow-up was 12 months (range 7-19 months). All patients in this series presented with low preoperative CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts (mean, 24 cells per microL) and received highly active antiretroviral therapy. One retina (Patient 1) redetached 7 months after initial repair and was successfully reattached without using silicone oil. Postoperatively, visual acuity remains 20/30, and total retinal reattachment has been maintained for 16 months.

CONCLUSION

Good anatomic and visual success can be achieved and maintained in CMV-related RD without the use of silicone oil.

Repair of retinal detachments due to herpes varicella-zoster virus retinitis in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome

PURPOSE

The authors characterize surgical techniques and report results for repair of retinal detachments due to varicella-zoster retinitis in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

BACKGROUND

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) retinitis is a distinctly aggressive infection in patients with AIDS. Retinal detachments occur in the majority of such patients, and contribute to their poor visual prognosis.

METHODS

A case series of five eyes in four patients with AIDS and retinal detachments due to VZV retinitis is presented, highlighting surgical technique and results. Pars plana vitrectomy, silicone oil tamponade, and endolaser photocoagulation were used in all cases.

RESULTS

Apparent contraction of the necrotic retina was observed, requiring large relaxing retinectomies to achieve retinal attachment in three of the five eyes. Follow up after surgery was 4, 6, 15, 29, and 30 months. Four eyes maintained ambulatory vision and the retinas remained attached.

CONCLUSION

Vitrectomy with silicone oil tamponade may be used to preserve ambulatory vision in carefully selected patients with AIDS and retinal detachments due to VZV retinitis. Relaxing retinectomy is a useful technique to achieve and maintain retinal attachment.

Management of viral retinitis-associated retinal detachment in AIDS

We retrospectively reviewed the results of surgery in 27 cases of retinal detachment related to viral necrotising retinitis in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Vitrectomy and silicone oil tamponade were performed in all cases. Scleral buckling was applied to 9 eyes. Silicone oil was left in the eye in all cases. Mean follow-up period was 13 weeks. Post-operative flattening of the retina at the posterior pole was achieved in 89% of the eyes. Anatomical results were not related to the intraoperative use of an encircling procedure. Visual acuity improved by 2 Snellen lines or more in 40% of cases and 67% of the eyes retained a post-operative ambulatory vision. Phacosclerosis and optic atrophy developed in 29% and 22% of cases, respectively. Vitrectomy and silicone oil tamponade without scleral buckling are effective in the management of retinitis-associated retinal detachments. This procedure is short and can be performed under local anaesthesia.

Retinal detachment and herpesvirus retinitis in patients with AIDS

BACKGROUND

The prolongation of survival of patients with herpesvirus retinitis and AIDS has been associated with a rise in the incidence of retinal detachment. In such cases, however, retinal reattachment may be difficult to achieve, and postoperative visual acuity may be poor despite anatomically successful surgery.

METHODS

In order to examine factors affecting the visual outcome of surgery, a retrospective review of 29 patients with retinal detachment, herpesvirus retinitis, and AIDS was performed. Retinal reattachment surgery (32 procedures) or prophylactic laser demarcation (five procedures) was performed in 28 eyes of 23 patients.

RESULTS

The macula was attached in 23/28 (82%) eyes at the last outpatient visit. Best postoperative visual acuity (median 6/18, range 6/6-hand movements) was significantly greater than final postoperative acuity (median counting fingers, range 6/6-no perception of light) (Wilcoxon sign rank test, p = 0.003), and was retained for a median of 3 months (1-91 weeks) after surgery. Poor visual outcome as evidenced by submedian final visual acuity was invariably associated with persistence of macular detachment, and significantly associated with the occurrence of optic atrophy (odds ratio = 5, p = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

Retinal reattachment surgery appears justified in patients with herpesvirus retinitis and AIDS, but postoperative visual deterioration may occur in association with optic atrophy.