Therapeutic prognostic factors associated with retinal detachment and visual outcomes in acute retinal necrosis.

BACKGROUND: Acute retinal necrosis (ARN) is a fulminant necrotizing vaso-occlusive retinitis associated with a high incidence of vision loss. Prognostic factors associated with the treatment of ARN have not been comprehensively identified. This study aimed to determine therapeutic prognostic factors associated with long-term clinical outcomes in eyes with ARN. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included patients with ARN who were treated between 2005 and 2019 in two tertiary ophthalmology departments in Seoul, Korea. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate prognostic factors associated with late-onset retinal detachment (RD) and vision loss (<20/200). RESULTS: Sixty-one eyes with ARN with an average follow-up of 63.5 months were included. Surgical intervention of vitrectomy (odds ratio [OR], 0.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.004-0.47) and intraoperative prophylactic laser use (OR, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.02-0.81) were independently associated with a decreased risk of late RD. The factors independently associated with an increased risk of vision loss were worse initial visual acuity (OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 1.50-7.21), zone 1 involvement of necrotic retinitis (OR, 10.84; 95% CI, 1.62-72.41), and late-onset RD (OR, 5.38; 95% CI, 1.92-31.54). CONCLUSION: Vitrectomy and/or prophylactic intraoperative laser treatment may be effective treatment options in preventing delayed RD associated with an increased risk of vision loss in eyes with ARN.

Efficacy of prophylactic laser retinopexy in acute retinal necrosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the role of prophylactic laser retinopexy in preventing rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in acute retinal necrosis (ARN). METHODS: Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched for eligible studies from inception to July 2020. Comprehensive clinical demographics were extracted from each study by two independent investigators. A random effects model was selected to analyze the OR of RRD risk and visual outcome with 95%CI. Subsequent subgroup and sensitivity analysis were conducted to evaluate the source of heterogeneity. RESULTS: A total of eight studies and 247 eyes (111 prophylactic laser retinopexy eyes and 136 eyes receiving antiviral treatment) were included in this analysis. There was moderate statistical heterogeneity across all studies. When compared with routine antiviral treatment alone, RRD risk decreased in patients receiving prophylactic laser retinopexy, however, this was not statistically significant (P = 0.09, OR = 0.42, 95%CI: 0.15-1.15). There was significant improvement in BCVA during the follow-up period in the prophylactic laser retinopexy subgroup (P = 0.01, WMD = - 0.98, 95%CI: - 1.74, - 0.22). CONCLUSION: Based on current analysis, our results did not support convincing evidence of prophylactic laser in preventing RRD. Future studies featuring high-quality, multicenter trials will be required to correct baseline characteristics. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This meta-analysis has been retrospectively registered in Prospero (registration number: CRD42020201008).

The necessity and optimal time for performing pars plana vitrectomy in acute retinal necrosis patients.

BACKGROUND: To compare the efficacy of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) at different time points to treat acute retinal necrosis (ARN) and to investigate the necessity of PPV for ARN. METHODS: A retrospective review of the treatment options and outcomes of the ARN patients was performed. Thirty ARN patients (34 eyes) were included in this study. The eyes were divided into 3 groups depending on the treatment administered. In the medically treated group, there was no retinal detachment (RD) at the first visit. The routine group patients were treated with systemic antiviral medications, as well as with intravitreal antiviral injections. In the early PPV treatment group, there was no RD at the first visit. The early PPV treatment group patients were treated with systemic antiviral medications and PPV plus silicone oil tamponade and intravitreal injection. In the PPV group, there was RD at the first visit. The PPV group patients were treated with systemic antiviral medications and PPV plus silicone oil tamponade and intravitreal injection. RESULTS: In the medically treated group, the mean baseline best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (logMAR) was 1.38 ± 0.35. The BCVA was 1.21 ± 0.36 at the last visit for the medically treated group. In this group, one eye (12.5%) developed RD after 1 month of treatment. In the early PPV treatment group, the mean BCVA (logMAR) was 1.68 ± 0.26. The BCVA was 1.83 ± 0.21 at the last visit for the early PPV group. In this group, five eyes (29.4%) had recurrent RD before silicone oil removal. In the PPV group, the mean BCVA (logMAR) was 2.0 ± 0.35. The BCVA was 1.72 ± 0.34 at the last visit for the PPV group. In this group, one eye (11.1%) had recurrent RD before silicone oil removal. There were no significant differences among the three groups in the baseline BCVA and the BCVA at the last visit (p>0.05). There were no significant differences between the early PPV group and the PPV group in the recurrent RD rates (p = 0.38). CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic PPV showed no difference in recurrent RD rates or better BCVA. Therefore, prophylactic vitrectomy cannot prevent RD nor improve the prognosis of ARN based on our research.

Timing of prophylactic and early vitrectomy for first-presenting or recurrent acute retinal necrosis syndrome.

Acute retinal necrosis syndrome (ARNS) is a herpetic infectious eye disease that presents clinicians with difficult decisions to make about the indication and timing of surgical intervention. Here I report 2 patients who underwent prophylactic and early vitrectomy with good visual outcomes. Case 1, a 72-year-old man, had a second recurrence of ARNS in the left eye in 2011 and underwent early vitrectomy in the acute inflammatory phase to remove previously formed vitreous opacity and vitreoretinal adhesions, in parallel with intravenous acyclovir and oral prednisolone administration. He had experienced ARNS in the right eye in 1983, in the left eye in 1986, and a recurrence in the left eye in 1999. Case 2, a 66-year-old woman, developed ARNS in the right eye. All of the circumferential retinal lesions became degenerative with intravenous acyclovir and prednisolone. She underwent a vitrectomy in the post-inflammatory phase, since epiretinal proliferation was noted through vitreous opacity with complete posterior vitreous detachment. These cases suggest that early vitrectomy in the acute inflammatory phase would be indicated for pre-existing vitreoretinal adhesions, while prophylactic vitrectomy in the post-inflammatory phase would be indicated for epiretinal proliferation.

Surgical Outcomes of Acute Retinal Necrosis-Related Retinal Detachment in Polymerase Chain Reaction-Positive Patients: A Single-Center Experience.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical features, operative techniques, and surgical outcomes of patients who underwent surgery for acute retinal necrosis (ARN)-related retinal detachment (RD). DESIGN: Retrospective, longitudinal, consecutive case series. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with polymerase chain reaction-positive ARN presenting from 2011 to 2021 who underwent vitreoretinal surgery for ARN-related RD at our institution. METHODS: Univariate, multivariate, and survival analyses were used to determine predictors of anatomic and functional outcomes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Single-surgery anatomic success rate, recurrent RD, and visual acuity (VA) at 1 year. RESULTS: Thirty-four eyes of 34 patients (32.4% women, mean age, 45.1 ± 20.4 years) were included for analysis with a median follow-up of 2.5 years (interquartile range [IQR], 0.8-5.5 years). Presenting VA was 1.1 ± 0.8 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR) (Snellen ∼20/250). The median time from presentation to RD surgery was 1.7 months (IQR, 0.8-4.1 months), and the mean preoperative VA was 1.6 ± 0.8 LogMAR (Snellen ∼20/800). Small-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with or without a scleral buckle (SB) was performed for all eyes with an overall single-surgery success rate of 63.6%, with no statistically significant differences in visual/anatomic outcomes between PPV and PPV/SB cases. Silicone oil was used for tamponade in 33 (97.1%) cases and was removed in 10 (30.3%) with good anatomic and final functional outcomes (Snellen âˆ¼20/80). Independent predictors of recurrent RD included the female sex (hazard ratio, 8.38; 95% confidence interval, 2.03-34.68; P < 0.01) and zone 1 retinitis involvement at presentation (hazard ratio, 10.95; 95% confidence interval, 2.12-56.48; P < 0.01). The mean VA at 1 year (VA1year) and at the final follow-up both had a Snellen equivalent of 20/640 (P > 0.05 for both compared with preoperative VA, respectively). Eyes that achieved single-surgery success had VA1year of 20/200 versus hand movements in those with single-surgery failure (P < 0.01). On multivariate linear regression, younger age (P = 0.04) and better presenting VA (P < 0.01) were both associated with better VA1year. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate single-surgery anatomic success can be achieved with modern vitreoretinal surgical techniques for ARN-related RD, although visual outcomes remain poor. Further studies investigating interventions for increasing single-surgery success rates, for the inflammatory complications of ARN, and for preventing ARN-related RD are needed.

[Pars plana vitrectomy in patients with acute retinal necrosis syndrome: surgical results in 52 patients].

PURPOSE: To analyze results of pars plana vitrectomy for acute retinal necrosis (ARN) syndrome. METHODS: We reviewed the records of 52 eyes with ARN syndrome who underwent pars plana vitrectomy at the Tokyo Medical University Hospital from 1989 to 2007. The mean age was 50.1 +/- 10.2 years and the mean follow-up duration was 75.3 months. The causative virus was herpes simplex virus in 7 cases and varicella zoster virus in 45 cases. In all cases, treatment with acyclovir and corticosteroids was started from presentation. During the follow-up period, vitrectomy was done in patients who developed retinal detachment, and in those who developed posterior vitreous detachment exerting marked traction on the retina, even though retinal detachment had not occurred. In these cases, preoperative and postoperative visual acuities were compared and reoperation, retinal detachment preventive surgery and age-stratified visual prognosis after vitrectomy were analyzed. RESULTS: Visual acuity was improved by 2 lines or more in 13 eyes (25.0%), remained unchanged in 16 eyes (30.8%), and deteriorated by 2 lines or more in 23 eyes (44.2%). Thirty-seven of 52 eyes (71.2%) required re-operation. No significant differences were detected when the patients were stratified according to whether they were treated either with or without combined use of silicon oil, or according to whether they were treated either with or without prophylactic surgery for retinal detachment, as well as by age of vitrectomy. A combination of lens extraction, silicon oil and encircling sclera buckling procedure was associated with a significantly higher frequency of final visual acuity. CONCLUSION: Despite the advances in vitrectomy achieved today, the visual prognosis of acute retinal necrosis remains unsatisfactory. The present study found no significant improvement in the prognostic relevance of prophylactic vitrectomy. Improvement in pharmacotherapy may help improve the prognosis. Further prospective large-scale studies to compare other treatment modalities are also required.

Risk of Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment in Acute Retinal Necrosis With and Without Prophylactic Intervention.

PURPOSE: To study whether preventive laser or preventive vitrectomy is able to lower the risk of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in patients with acute retinal necrosis (ARN). DESIGN: A retrospective, interventional case series. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 59 patients (63 eyes) with ARN treated in a single tertiary referral center. We analyzed different groups with either no prophylaxis, prophylactic laser, or prophylactic vitrectomy. Main outcome measure was incidence of RRD. RESULTS: Overall incidence of RRD was 44.4%, including 13% at presentation. In a crude analysis, the risk of RRD was highest in 33 patients with prophylactic laser (45.5%), lower in 15 patients with no prophylaxis (26.7%), and lowest in 7 patients with prophylactic vitrectomy (14.3%). Baseline best-corrected visual acuity differed between these groups, but zone and percentage of involved retina did not. In a multivariable model including prophylactic laser and ARN severity, only zone was predictive of RRD. CONCLUSION: When correcting for severity of disease, we did not observe a reduction in the risk of RRD by prophylactic laser in eyes with ARN. Therefore, prophylactic laser may be abandoned. The role of prophylactic vitrectomy is still unclear, but deserves further investigation.

Rate of Retinal Detachment after Early Prophylactic Vitrectomy for Acute Retinal Necrosis.

PURPOSE: To compare the rate of retinal detachment after acute retinal necrosis in eyes that underwent early vitrectomy versus no early vitrectomy. METHODS: Charts of patients (61 eyes) who presented to Texas Retina Associates between January 1, 2006 and December 30, 2014 for acute retinal necrosis were reviewed. Charts with incomplete documentation or follow-up less than 6 months were excluded. Twenty-nine remaining eyes were divided into two groups: early vitrectomy and no early vitrectomy. Primary outcome measure was rate of retinal detachment. RESULTS: Out of 29 eyes, 12 underwent early vitrectomy within 30 days of diagnosis and 17 either underwent vitrectomy after 30 days or did not undergo prophylactic vitrectomy at all. Three out of 12 eyes (25%) developed retinal detachment in the early vitrectomy group versus 10 out of 17 eyes (59%) in the no early vitrectomy group (p = 0.076). CONCLUSIONS: Early vitrectomy within 30 days may prevent retinal detachment after acute retinal necrosis.

Multifocal posterior necrotizing retinitis.

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical features of an acute, inflammatory, and progressive retinal necrosis that affects primarily the posterior pole. DESIGN: Retrospective, interventional case series. METHODS: Twenty-seven eyes of 24 patients diagnosed with and treated for acute retinal necrosis (ARN) were categorized into two groups according to the predominant location of retinitis at presentation: either in the peripheral retina or in the posterior pole. Clinical features, disease progression, visual outcomes, and complications of these two groups were compared. RESULTS: Fifteen eyes demonstrated the known peripheral retinitis pattern, and 12 eyes exhibited a pattern of retinitis that affected mainly the posterior pole. Eyes with peripheral retinitis showed focal, well-demarcated areas of retinal necrosis in the periphery with rapid circumferential progression and rare involvement of the posterior pole. All eyes with posterior pole retinitis had multifocal deep lesions posterior to the vortex veins at presentation, and half of these eyes had lesions in the macula. These lesions progressed to patches of confluent retinitis in both the periphery and the posterior pole. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the incidence of anterior chamber and vitreous cells, vascular sheathing, retinal hemorrhages, or optic disk edema. Patients with posterior retinitis involvement seemed to have a worse visual outcome during the first two years after diagnosis. The Cox proportional hazards model suggested a higher incidence of retinal detachment in patients with posterior retinitis (P = .07). CONCLUSIONS: The authors report a pattern of herpetic retinitis that affects predominantly the posterior pole and may have a worse visual prognosis and a higher rate of retinal detachment.

Acute retinal necrosis as a late sequela of herpes simplex type 1 encephalitis in a child.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a common infection that occasionally presents with destructive lesions. Two of the most feared presentations of HSV are encephalitis and acute retinal necrosis. Although there are numerous reports of acute retinal necrosis presenting after HSV-2 infection in children, it has been rarely reported in children after HSV-1 infection. Herein we report a child who developed acute retinal necrosis 17 months after HSV-1 encephalitis.

[Acute retinal necrosis syndrome]. / Sindromul de necroza retiniana acuta.

We present the case of a 29 year old patient, mono-ophthalmic, diagnosed with Acute Retinal Necrosis Syndrome. The disease rapidly progressed despite the medical treatment, and the patient developed complex retinal detachment. After repeated surgical procedures, due to the recurrence of intraocular inflammatory process and the development of a complicated cataract, we finally obtained a good and stable functional result.

Retained intraocular iron foreign body presenting with acute retinal necrosis.

We report an unusual case of retained metallic intraocular foreign body (IOFB) presenting with acute retinal necrosis (ARN). A healthy young man presented with signs of ARN including hypopyon, dense vitritis, and peripheral retinal necrosis following alleged history of trauma with a high-velocity projectile. After initial management of ARN with systemic antivirals, a retained metallic IOFB was identified and subsequently removed surgically. The patient was followed up for 12 months postoperatively and retained excellent vision without recurrence of the ARN. The diagnosis of an IOFB in a case with associated inflammation can be challenging. A strong clinical suspicion with proper investigations can achieve optimum results.

Long-Term Surgical Outcomes of Retinal Detachment Associated With Acute Retinal Necrosis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To determine the long-term visual and surgical outcomes of patients with acute retinal necrosis (ARN) associated retinal detachment (RD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The authors conducted a single-center, retrospective chart review from 2001 to 2012 of 32 eyes from 27 patients diagnosed with ARN. The authors assessed the rates and risk factors for recurrent RD in eyes having undergone primary RD repair for ARN-related RD. RESULTS: Fifteen eyes (46.9%) developed RD and 13 underwent surgical repair. Recurrent RD developed in six eyes (46.2%), occurring 35 days to 10 months after primary retinal surgery. There was no difference in the rate of recurrent RD between eyes treated with or without intravitreal foscarnet (P = .48) or initial scleral buckle (P = .31). Six eyes (46.2%) developed severe vision loss, with a final Snellen visual acuity of less than 20/200. CONCLUSION: Recurrent RD after primary repair is a frequent complication of ARN. Overall, visual prognosis is guarded despite surgical intervention. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2016;47:660-664.].

Spontaneous regression and successful laser prophylaxis in progressive outer retinal necrosis syndrome.

PURPOSE: To describe a case of progressive outer retinal necrosis syndrome that regressed spontaneously after discontinuation of all systemic antiviral medications with macular sparing after prophylactic laser photocoagulation of the posterior pole. METHODS: Prophylactic laser photocoagulation surrounding the posterior pole was performed in an attempt to spare the macula from detachment in a patient with progressive outer retinal necrosis. RESULTS: Progressive outer retinal necrosis regressed spontaneously without systemic antiviral medications. The posterior pole within the area of photocoagulation remained attached. CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic laser treatment surrounding the posterior pole rather than peripheral retina may allow more time for formation of firm chorioretinal adhesions and protect the macula from detachment.

Detection of varicella-zoster virus genome in the vitreous humor from two patients with acute retinal necrosis; lacking or having a PstI cleavage site.

Using polymerase chain reaction, we detected the varicella-zoster virus genome in the vitreous humor of two patients with clinically diagnosed acute retinal necrosis. One of the two cases was thought to be caused by infection with a varicella-zoster virus lacking a PstI cleavage site. We could not find any clinical differences between the two substrains. The presence of a PstI cleavage site on the varicella-zoster virus genome might not be associated with the occurrence of acute retinal necrosis.

Optic nerve sheath decompression: history, techniques, and indications.

Despite skepticism regarding the efficacy of the procedure, ONSD now has an established role in the management of visual loss associated with chronic papilledema. The surgical procedure requires microscopic dissection of the intraorbital optic nerve to avoid permanent damage to the nerve and its vascular supply. Recent (albeit controversial) investigations concerning ONSD for ischemic disease of the optic nerve suggest that the procedure may have more pathophysiological effects than were once believed.

[Acute necrotizing retinitis with amotio retinae. Surgical and medicamentous antiviral therapy]. / Akute nekrotisierende Retinitis mit Amotio retinae. Operative und medikamentöse antivirale Therapie.

This report pertains to the case of a 25-year-old patient suffering from acute necrotizing retinitis (ANR syndrome). Initially, one eye revealed clinical signs of diffuse chorioretinitis accompanied by perivasculitis and heavy keratic precipitates, papillitis, and vitreous infiltrates. After initial improvement under antiphlogistic therapy, however, necrotizing retinitis developed, associated with peripapillar hemorrhages, multiple peripheral retinal holes and eventually complete retinal detachment. The subsequently performed retinal detachment surgery, completed with vitrectomy, cerclage and silicone oil tamponade, was successful. At the same time, the patient was put on systemic therapy based on acyclovir. In the literature, similar developments are usually related to HSV and HZV infections. Although in our case a virological diagnostic test did not reveal the presence of any virus, the characteristic symptoms of the ANR syndrome completely disappeared under the above-mentioned therapy. Visual acuity, previously consisting only in light perception, improved to 0.4.

[Acute retinal necrosis. Silicon oil tamponade in retinal detachment]. / Akute Retinanekrose. Silikonölendotamponade bei Netzhautablösungen.

BACKGROUND: Because retinal necrosis syndrome seldom occurs, we present our results of silicone oil tamponade for associated retinal detachment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirteen eyes from 13 patients undergoing retinal reattachment surgery for retinal detachment associated with acute retinal necrosis in a consecutive series between January 1988 and June 1995 were followed up. Patients were 25 to 56 years of age. Four patients had acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Five eyes that were operated on with cryopexy and scleral buckling received vitrectomy, membrane peeling, silicone oil tamponade and endolaser treatment in a second operation. Eight eyes were primarily operated on with cryopexy, encircling buckle, vitrectomy with membrane peeling, silicone oil tamponade and endolaser treatment. All patients were treated with acyclovir. RESULTS: Postoperative complete reattachment was observed in 12 eyes and persistence of a peripheral detachment in one eye. Vision improved in eight eyes, but only five eyes achieved 20/200 or better vision. Limited functional results in our series were caused by retinal ischemia, optic atrophy and macula scars. After a median of 9.3 months silicone oil was removed in nine eyes. No retinal redetachment or recurrent retinitis was observed during a follow-up time of at least 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Vitrectomy and silicone oil tamponade allowed all cases of retinal detachment associated with acute retinal necrosis to be successfully repaired. Further studies must be conducted to find out how we can improve the visual outcome-perhaps by earlier therapy with acyclovir or earlier vitrectomy.

[Acute retinal necrosis syndrome. Argon laser coagulation for prevention of rhegmatogenic retinal detachment]. / Akutes Retinanekrose (ARN)-Syndrom. Argon-Laser-Koagulation (ALK) zur Prophylaxe rhegmatogener Netzhautablösungen.

BACKGROUND: ARN syndrome follows severeintraocular infection by herpes viruses and primarily affects the peripheral retina. Following scar formation, despite antiviral treatment, rhegmatogenous retinal detachment occurs very often. Prophylactic argon laser photocoagulation has therefore been proposed. We report our experience. PATIENTS: We treated five patients presenting clinically with advanced unilateral ARN with acyclovir. All eyes received a prophylactic confluent double row of argon laser treatment (500 microns, 0.2 s, gray-white lesions) central to the affected area as soon as was possible, depending on the vitreous clouding. Four patients were treated with Aspirin. RESULTS: One of the five patients had a peripheral rhegmatogenous retinal detachment that was limited by the argon laser row. Another patient had a tractional detachment needing vitreoretinal surgery. Two eyes developed vitreal hemorrhage of unknown origin. CONCLUSION: A lower rate of rhegmatogenous retinal detachments than expected occurred post-laser treatment. Vitreal hemorrhage was more frequent than previously reported. The bleeding probably originated from anterior retinal neovascularization and may have been enhanced by Aspirin treatment. We recommend early prophylactic argon laser photocoagulation in all ARN patients in agreement with the results of previous studies.