Longitudinal quantification of choriocapillaris flow deficits in persistent placoid maculopathy: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Persistent placoid maculopathy (PPM) is a rare idiopathic chorioretinopathy characterized by choriocapillaris (CC) hypoperfusion. In a case of PPM, we quantified CC flow deficits (FDs) over time and observed an increase in CC perfusion as the visual acuity and outer photoreceptor anatomy improved. CASE PRESENTATION: A 58-year-old man was diagnosed with PPM in both eyes based on the patient's clinical presentation and imaging. He presented with sudden-onset central scotomas in both eyes for about two months. On referral, the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/20 in the right eye and 20/100 in the left eye. Plaque-like yellowish macular lesions were observed bilaterally and autofluorescence imaging showed bilateral hyperautofluorescent lesions. Fluorescein angiography (FA) revealed early-phase hyper-fluorescent staining that intensified in the late phases, while indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) displayed persistent hypofluorescence in both eyes. Foveal centered swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) B-scans showed bilateral focal deposits on the level of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and disruption of outer photoreceptor bands. The CC FDs were quantified on SS-OCT angiography (SS-OCTA) images using a previously published algorithm that was validated. The CC FD% was 12.52% in the right eye and 14.64% in the left eye within a 5 mm circle centered on the fovea. After 5 months of steroid treatment, BCVA remained 20/20 in the right eye and improved to 20/25 in the left eye. On OCT imaging, the outer photoreceptor bands fully recovered in both eyes, while some focal deposits remained along the RPE in the left eye. The CC perfusion in both eyes improved, with CC FD% decreasing from 12.52% to 9.16% in the right eye and from 14.64% to 9.34% in the left eye. CONCLUSIONS: Significant impairment of macular CC perfusion was detected after the onset of PPM. Improvement in central macular CC perfusion corresponded with improvements in BCVA and outer retinal anatomy. Our findings suggest that imaging and quantification of CC FDs could serve as a valuable imaging strategy for diagnosing PPM and for following disease progression.

Retinal endovascular surgery and intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide for central vein occlusion in young adults.

PURPOSE: To report the results of retinal endovascular surgery and intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide on two eyes of two patients younger than 40 years of age with central vein occlusion. DESIGN: Interventional case reports from a study approved by the Institutional Review Board of North Broward Medical Center, Pompano Beach, Florida. METHODS: Two men, ages 37 and 39, with unilateral central vein occlusion were treated with retinal endovascular surgery and intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide. The main outcome measure was recovery of visual acuity. RESULTS: One patient recovered 8 lines of visual acuity, the other recovered 11 lines. There was rapid clearance of intraretinal hemorrhage and edema in both cases. CONCLUSIONS: Retinal endovascular surgery and intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide may promote recovery of visual acuity in eyes of young adults with central vein occlusion.

Retinal vascular events after intravitreal bevacizumab.

PURPOSE: To record retinal vascular events following intravitreal bevacizumab injection. METHODS: Collaborative multi-centre retrospective case series. RESULTS: Eight patients were documented to have central retinal artery occlusion (four patients), branch retinal artery occlusion, capillary occlusion, central retinal vein occlusion and branch retinal vein occlusion (one patient each) within 0-55 days (median 2 weeks) of intravitreal bevacizumab. All patients had several ocular and systemic risk factors for retinal vascular events: elevated intraocular pressure on discharge (four patients), pre-existent glaucoma (one patient), pre-existent ischaemic retinal vascular disorder (four patients), systemic hypertension (five patients), diabetes mellitus (three patients), coronary artery disease (four patients), carotid disease (three patients), smoking (two patients) and migraine (one patient). CONCLUSION: The retinal vascular events may be associated with the underlying ocular disease under treatment or with the underlying systemic disease, may be related to an increased intraocular pressure post-injection constraining further an already poor retinal perfusion, the vasoconstrictor effect of bevacizumab, or a combination of all three.

Retinal endovascular surgery for central retinal vein occlusion: initial experience of four surgeons.

PURPOSE: The rate and magnitude of spontaneous visual recovery are very poor in central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). In the first follow-up year, the Central Vein Occlusion Study Group reported that only 6% of eyes recovered > or = 3 lines of vision and none recovered > or = 8 lines of vision. Retinal endovascular surgery (REVS) is vitrectomy followed by cannulation of retinal vessels with injection of tissue plasminogen activator. After reports of one surgeon's experience suggested that the procedure promotes recovery of vision, other surgeons began to offer REVS to their patients. This report discusses the initial experience of four surgeons using REVS to treat CRVO. METHODS: In this prospective, consecutive case series, patients with CRVO for > 1 week and visual acuity of < 20/50 were offered REVS and were followed by the authors. The main outcome measure was recovery of visual acuity. RESULTS: This series represents the initial 25 consecutive REVS cases of the 4 authors (5-7 cases per author). The median CRVO duration was 2 months (mean 2.9, months), and the average preoperative visual acuity was 20/400 (< or = 20/200 in 80% of cases). Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) was administered intraoperatively in three cases and at some time postoperatively in six cases. Overall, 18 eyes (72%) recovered > or = 3 lines of visual acuity, and 9 (36%) recovered > or = 8 lines of vision. Among the surgeons, the rates of > or = 3-line visual recovery ranged from 57% to 100%, and the rates of > or = 8-line visual recovery ranged from 14% to 71%. Of the 22 eyes that initially underwent REVS without intraoperative IVTA injection, 13 (59%) recovered > or = 3 lines of vision and 5 (23%) recovered > or = 8 lines of vision. Complications included macular edema (28%), anterior segment or retinal neovascularization (24%), and subsequent cataract surgery (5 [23%] of the 22 preoperatively phakic eyes). One eye had an intraoperative retinal detachment that was treated but recurred 4 months after REVS, and two of the eyes with anterior segment neovascularization developed late-onset traction retinal detachments (at 8 and 13 months after REVS). CONCLUSION: Although the authors were on the "learning curve" of experience during this series, REVS appears to promote visual recovery far in excess of what would be expected to occur spontaneously, and IVTA injection greatly improved outcomes. We believe that mastery of REVS techniques and the inclusion of IVTA injection may lead to better visual results and lower complication rates.