Safety and efficacy of high-intensity focused ultrasound in severe or refractory glaucoma.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasonic cyclocoagulation in severe or refractory glaucoma, and to analyze the procedure-related inflammation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 15 eyes of 13 patients suffering from severe or refractory glaucoma with uncontrolled intraocular pressure of ⩾21 mmHg underwent 8-s ultrasonic cyclocoagulation. A complete ophthalmic evaluation, quality of life assessment using Glau-Qol-17, endothelial cell count, and flare measurement were performed. Primary outcome was qualified surgical success (defined as intraocular pressure reduction from baseline ⩾20% and intraocular pressure >5 mmHg without hypotensive medication adjunction). Secondary outcomes were flare, endothelial cell loss, and quality of life. RESULTS: Qualified success was achieved in 67% of eyes at 6 months (mean intraocular pressure reduction = 42% in these eyes). During the first month after the procedure, the mean flare reached its maximum value when the intraocular pressure was minimal; the flare slowly decreased until normalization at month 3 when the maximal intraocular pressure was noted. At month 3, there was moderate but significant endothelial cell loss (11%), and no significant alteration in quality of life was demonstrated. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of ultrasonic cyclocoagulation in the present study is comparable to that reported in the literature. The kinetics of intraocular pressure and flare suggest that postoperative inflammation could be partly responsible for the early intraocular pressure decrease. The moderate endothelial cell loss, which could be caused by localized heating, and the preservation of quality of life confirm the safety of ultrasonic cyclocoagulation.

Optic nerve compression by an intraorbital megadolichoectatic ophtalmic artery.

A 47-year-old woman, physically active, presented with a history of progressive isolated right eye visual loss (20/200). Ophtalmological examination with Goldmann's perimetry showed a Marcus Gunn pupil, an optic disc temporal pallor and a central scotoma on the affected eye. CT scan and cerebral angiography demonstrated an abnormally wide and elongated (megadolichoectatic) intraorbital ophthalmic artery responsible for optic nerve compression in the optic canal. Pulse steroid therapy was chosen and allowed recuperation of right eye visual acuity to 20/20. A 3-months' follow-up was decided and to date, 1 year later, she fell back to 20/40 with a normal right eye visual field. The authors compare these clinical and radiological findings with intraorbital aneurysms and discuss the therapeutic options for this extremely rare form of vascular disease.

White matter maturation of normal human fetal brain. An in vivo diffusion tensor tractography study.

We demonstrate for the first time the ability to determine in vivo and in utero the transitions between the main stages of white matter (WM) maturation in normal human fetuses using magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography. Biophysical characteristics of water motion are used as an indirect probe to evaluate progression of the tissue matrix organization in cortico-spinal tracts (CSTs), optic radiations (OR), and corpus callosum (CC) in 17 normal human fetuses explored between 23 and 38 weeks of gestation (GW) and selected strictly on minimal motion artifacts. Nonlinear polynomial (third order) curve fittings of normalized longitudinal and radial water diffusivities (Z-scores) as a function of age identify three different phases of maturation with specific dynamics for each WM bundle type. These phases may correspond to distinct cellular events such as axonal organization, myelination gliosis, and myelination, previously reported by other groups on post-mortem fetuses using immunostaining methods. According to the DTI parameter dynamics, we suggest that myelination (phase 3) appears early in the CSTs, followed by the OR and by the CC, respectively. DTI tractography provides access to a better understanding of fetal WM maturation.

Distinctive clinical features of bilateral Duane retraction syndrome.

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical characteristics of unilateral and bilateral forms of Duane retraction syndrome. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of patients with Duane syndrome over a 10-year span was performed. All participants underwent a complete medical and ophthalmologic examination at the time of diagnosis. Data collected included the following: sex, age at first visit, form (unilateral/bilateral), side, type, ocular duction and version, abnormal head position, best-corrected visual acuity, refractive errors, presence of strabismus, binocular function, and associated congenital anomalies. RESULTS: Of 94 patients identified, 17% were bilaterally affected. Of the bilateral patients, 12% had familial antecedents; 87.5% had the same type in both eyes with 75% bilateral type 1. Patients with bilateral Duane syndrome had significantly different visual acuity (mean, 0.1214 logMar vs 0.0035; p = 0.045), abnormal head position (56.25% vs 89%; p = 0.04), A or V patterns (69% vs 27.6%; p = 0.003), and associated congenital anomalies (50% vs 14%; p = 0.003) than patients with unilateral disease. There was also a suggestion of higher rates of ametropia, global vertical dysfunction, and abnormal stereoacuity in bilateral Duane syndrome that were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with bilateral Duane syndrome had lower visual acuity, a lower incidence of abnormal head posture, and a higher incidence of A or V patterns and associated congenital anomalies. Bilateral Duane retraction syndrome seems to involve multiple instances of deinnervation and fibrosis, resulting in horizontal and vertical oculomotor deficits and functional impairments.