On the protective role of the blood vessels in glaucomatous damage: A transversal study.

PURPOSE: To corroborate whether vessels on the surface of the optic nerve head can provide protection against the loss of underlying axons in subjects with manifest glaucoma. METHODS: In this pilot study, thirty-six glaucomatous eyes with a perimetric defect in the Bjerrum area were included. The retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness was measured in each of the sectors of the clock-hour map obtained by Cirrus HD-OCT considering the presence or absence of blood vessels. These sectors were related with their corresponding areas of the retina examined in the visual field using a mathematical model of the retina introduced by Jansonius, in order to determine the values of threshold sensitivity in those areas in the presence or absence of vessels. RESULTS: We corroborated the protective role of the blood vessel for peripapillary RNFL thickness of clock-hour 12 despite obtaining a p-value (p = 0.023; w = 228.5) close to the acceptance zone (p ≥ 0.05). The mean ± standard deviation with vessel and without vessel were 70.95 ± 24.35 and 88.46 ± 23.96, respectively. No differences were found between the mean values of threshold sensitivity to the presence or absence of blood vessels in each of the sectors considered. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings do not allow us to affirm that there is an association between the presence of a vessel and protection against glaucomatous damage in subjects with an advanced manifestation of the disease. In the future, more extensive studies are needed to study this relationship in subjects with early glaucoma.

A prospective comparative study of two methods of individual calculation of 131I activity in the treatment of hyperthyroidism. / Estudio prospectivo comparativo de dos métodos de cálculo individual de la actividad de 131I en el tratamiento del hipertiroidismo.

OBJECTIVE: Radioiodine (131I) is an established modality of definitive treatment of hyperthyroidism. In spite of the vast experience available, there are still several aspects to be clarified, such as whether fixed or calculated doses should be used. The aim of this study was to assess whether efficacy of this treatment could be improved by implementing a simple dosimetric calculation method including ultrasonographic estimation of thyroid volume and a single measurement of 24-hour 131I thyroid uptake. METHODS: A prospective non-inferiority study was designed to compare two procedures to calculate radioiodine activity: the «semi-fixed¼ dose method (A), and the «calculated¼ dose method (B). The first consisted of activity escalation (185MBq steps) based on etiology of hyperthyroidism, 131I uptake, and treatment objective. The second method was based on the «dosimetric compromise¼ concept, considering 24-hour uptake and thyroid volume as the only factors and using a standard half-life of 5.5 days. The target absorbed dose was 150Gy, but after a preliminary analysis (first 100 cases) it was increased to 200Gy in diffuse toxic goiters (DTGs). RESULTS: A total of 212 patients were included. MethodB was at least as effective in terms of final and functional outcome, with a trend to more success and less hypothyroidism. In addition, activities administered were significantly lower. CONCLUSION: In radioiodine therapy of hyperthyroidism, a simple dosimetric method that provided results at least equal to those of a fixed dose-based method, with lower administered activities, could be implemented.