Pattern of Retinal Vasculitis in an Egyptian Cohort.

Purpose: To describe the clinical experience with retinal vasculitis at 4 Egyptian tertiary eye centers. Methods: A multicenter retrospective chart review of all patients with retinal vasculitis encountered at 4 ocular inflammation referral clinics in Egypt between February 2013 and February 2018. Results: The study included 618 patients (327 males and 291 females). Of these, 284 patients had isolated retinal vasculitis, whereas 233 patients had an associated systemic inflammatory disease, the most frequent being Behçet's disease, followed by sarcoidosis. In 101 patients, retinal vasculitis could be attributed to an infectious etiology, and among this category, the most common was tuberculosis, followed by toxoplasmosis. Conclusion: In our Egyptian cohort, more than half the patients had their retinal vasculitis as part of a serious systemic disease, or as part of an infectious process, as tuberculosis. And in view of the significant potential morbidity of these conditions, the local ophthalmologists need to be aware of these entities when faced with patients presenting with retinal vasculitis.

Intraocular pressure and haemodynamic responses to insertion of the i-gel, laryngeal mask airway or endotracheal tube.

CONTEXT: We hypothesised that the effects of insertion of an i-gel supraglottic airway management device on intraocular pressure (IOP) and haemodynamic variables would be milder than those associated with insertion of a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) or an endotracheal tube. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated IOP and haemodynamic responses following insertion of an i-gel airway, LMA or endotracheal tube. DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a randomised controlled study in a tertiary care centre in which 60 adults scheduled for elective non-ophthalmic procedures under general anaesthesia were allocated to one of three groups. Patients with pre-existing glaucoma, cardiovascular, pulmonary or metabolic diseases or anticipated difficult intubation were excluded. INTERVENTIONS: Following induction of general anaesthesia, an endotracheal tube, LMA or i-gel device was inserted. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: IOP, SBP, DBP, heart rate (HR) and perfusion index were measured before induction of anaesthesia and before and after insertion of the airway device. RESULTS: Insertion of the i-gel did not increase IOP. Insertion of an endotracheal tube increased IOP from 11.6 ± 1.6 to 16.5 ± 1.7 mmHg (P < 0.001). The post-insertion IOP exceeded the pre-induction value (P < 0.05). Insertion of the LMA increased IOP from 13.0 ± 1.5 to 14.7 ± 1.8 mmHg (P < 0.01), but this did not exceed the pre-induction value. Tracheal intubation significantly increased HR, SBP and DBP. Insertion of the LMA significantly increased HR and SBP. These increases were significantly higher than those which followed insertion of the i-gel device. Insertion of the endotracheal tube or LMA resulted in a significant decrease in perfusion index which was maintained for 5 min following tracheal intubation and for 2 min after insertion of the LMA. Insertion of the i-gel device did not change perfusion index significantly. CONCLUSION: Insertion of the i-gel device provides better stability of IOP and the haemodynamic system compared with insertion of an endotracheal tube or LMA in patients undergoing elective non-ophthalmic surgery.