Comparison of different biomaterials for glaucoma drainage devices.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the inflammatory reaction associated with the insertion of silicone and polypropylene endplates and endplates made of a new biocompatible polymer, Vivathane, in the rabbit subconjunctival space. METHODS: Similar-sized endplates made of 3 different biomaterials were sutured to the sclera in the superotemporal quadrant of the rabbit eye. Thirty eyes of 15 albino New Zealand rabbits were randomly assigned to the 3 groups. Conjunctival vascular hyperemia was graded in a masked fashion among groups. At the end of 3 weeks, the enucleated eyes were examined histologically and using scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS: Polypropylene and Vivathane were associated with significantly more inflammation in clinical observations and based on histological grading. Silicone was associated with the least amount of inflammation. Three polypropylene and 1 Vivathane plate were extruded between the second and third week. CONCLUSIONS: Silicone is the most inert of the 3 materials tested. Inflammation associated with biomaterials may contribute to the failure of the glaucoma drainage devices. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Bleb inflammation may be related to the biomaterial being used as the endplate. Endplates should be handled carefully during surgery to avoid creating rough spots.

Wegener's granulomatosis.

Clinical manifestations of Wegener's granulomatosis are nonspecific and indistinguishable from a variety of neoplastic, infectious, and inflammatory diseases. Ophthalmic disease is the presenting feature in nearly one sixth of patients with Wegener's granulomatosis and will ultimately develop in a majority. The discovery of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, particularly antiproteinase-3, has changed the clinical approach to evaluating patients suspected of having Wegener's granulomatosis. These antibodies are distinguished from other related autoantibodies because they produce a coarse granular pattern of cytoplasmic staining on indirect immunofluorescence with ethanol-fixed neutrophils. Treatment of Wegener's granulomatosis with oral cyclophosphamide and corticosteroids has decreased morbidity and improved survival, but side effects from long-term immunosuppressive therapy are common and sometimes serious. The effectiveness of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in decreasing the number and severity of recurrences of Wegener's granulomatosis is being investigated. It remains to be determined if wide use of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in limited Wegener's granulomatosis could further improve the quality of life for some patients.

Cystoid macular edema associated with latanoprost in aphakic and pseudophakic eyes.

PURPOSE: To describe four patients who developed cystoid macular edema shortly after onset of treatment with latanoprost. METHOD: Retrospective review of medical records of patients with open-angle glaucoma who developed cystoid macular edema shortly after starting latanoprost. RESULTS: The use of topical latanoprost was temporally related to the development of cystoid macular edema in four patients (six eyes; two aphakic eyes and four pseudophakic eyes). Cystoid macular edema resolved in all patients after latanoprost was discontinued. CONCLUSIONS: Cystoid macular edema is a potential complication of latanoprost therapy. Further observations are needed to determine if the risk of cystoid macular edema is limited to or greatest in patients who are pseudophakic or aphakic.

Cutaneous manifestations of acute carbon monoxide poisoning.

A patient with acute carbon monoxide poisoning due to leakage of gas from the exhaust system in his automobile noted edema and blister formation over large areas of the skin of one half of his body. Rhabdomyolysis, acute but transient renal insufficiency, and hemolytic anemia developed subsequently.

Unusual cutaneous manifestations of sarcoidosis.

The diagnosis of sarcoidosis is best established when there is evidence of granulomatous involvement in two or more organs. Three patients with unusual cutaneous manifestations of sarcoidosis, including palmar and follicular lesions, nonscarring alopecia, and widespread plaque or erythrodermic sarcoidosis, are reported. In all three patients the skin biopsy was important in establishing the diagnosis.

Microfilaruria in onchocerciasis. A clinical and epidemiological follow-up study in the Republic of Chad.

Microfilariae of O. volvulus were recovered from the urine of 11% of the residents of a village in the Republic of Chad where onchocerciasis was holoendemic. A follow-up study of the same population 3 years after the original investigation revealed that microfilaruria was still present and that living microfilariae of O. volvulus could be recovered from small urine samples obtained by high catherization of the ureters. Radiological changes consistent with chronic pyelitis were found in 4 out of 14 persons with microfilaruria who were examined by retrograde pyelography. The recovery of microfilariae in the urine was associated with the intensity of the infection, as determined by counts of microfilariae in skin snips and the number of onchocercomata. A systematic comparison for differences between onchocerciasis patients with and without microfilaruria revealed that the microfilaruria patients had a low weight: height ratio, deficient antibody responses in indirect haemagglutination tests with O. volvulus antigen, elevated serum aminotransferase levels, and reduced systolic blood pressure.