Partial Central Retinal Artery Occlusion: An Underrecognized Entity.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this publication is to report a case of an atypical partial central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) with substantial visual recovery without treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: An 83-year-old woman without significant medical history with sudden unilateral visual loss presented with no known significant ophthalmological or medical history besides systemic arterial hypertension. Examination showed multiple cotton-wool spots in a peripapillary distribution, as well as a heterogenous pattern of grey translucency in the macula resulting in an indistinct cherry-red spot. Fluorescein angiography showed normal choroidal filling and an important delay of dye transit through the retinal circulation. Carotid Doppler echography showed a small endothelial atherosclerotic plaque without hemodynamic repercussion. A detailed history and further examination revealed no other systemic diseases except for moderate hypercholesterolemia. The patient was referred for management of her hypertension but otherwise did not undergo specific therapy for CRAO because of the delayed presentation. Four weeks after the initial visual loss, the patient showed resolution of the retinal findings and a surprising improvement to 20/50 visual acuity. CONCLUSION: This case highlights a rare subtype of central retinal artery occlusion. In this disease, partial occlusion reveals atypical signs including large cotton-wool spots as the predominant finding, making the initial diagnosis difficult. Visual recovery may be significant in partial CRAO, even without treatment.

Pars plana vitrectomy combined with scleral buckle versus pars plana vitrectomy for giant retinal tear.

BACKGROUND: A giant retinal tear (GRT) is a full-thickness neurosensory retinal break extending for 90° or more in the presence of a posterior vitreous detachment. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of pars plana vitrectomy combined with scleral buckle versus pars plana vitrectomy alone for eyes with giant retinal tear. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2018, Issue 8), which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Trials Register; Ovid MEDLINE; Embase.com; PubMed; Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences (LILACS); ClinicalTrials.gov; and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP). We did not use any date or language restrictions in our electronic search. We last searched the electronic databases on 16 August 2018. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing pars plana vitrectomy combined with scleral buckle versus pars plana vitrectomy alone for giant retinal tear regardless of age, gender, lens status (e.g. phakic or pseudophakic eyes) of the affected eye(s), or etiology of GRT among participants enrolled in these trials. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed titles and abstracts, then full-text articles, using Covidence. Any differences in classification between the two review authors were resolved through discussion. Two review authors independently abstracted data and assessed risk of bias of included trials. MAIN RESULTS: We found two RCTs in abstract format (105 participants randomized). Neither RCT was published in full. Based on the data presented in the abstracts, scleral buckling might be beneficial (relative risk of re-attachement ranged from 3.0 to 4.4), but the findings are inconclusive due to a lack of peer reviewed publication and insufficient information for assessing risk of bias. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We found no conclusive evidence from RCTs on which to base clinical recommendations for scleral buckle combined with pars plana vitrectomy for giant retinal tear. RCTs are clearly needed to address this evidence gap. Such trials should be randomized, and patients should be classified by giant retinal tear characteristics (extension (90º, 90º to 180º, > 180º), location (oral, anterior, posterior to equator)), proliferative vitreoretinopathy stage, and endotamponade. Analysis should include both short-term (three months and six months) and long-term (one year to two years) outcomes for primary retinal reattachment, mean change in best corrected visual acuity, study eyes that required second surgery for retinal reattachment, and adverse events such as elevation of intraocular pressure above 21 mmHg, choroidal detachment, cystoid macular edema, macular pucker, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, and progression of cataract in initially phakic eyes.

[Giant retinal tears treated with lens sparing, bimanual 23 g vitrectomy without scleral buckle]. / Desgarros retinianos gigantes tratados con vitrectomía calibre 23, abordaje bimanual, sin cercaje escleral y sin tocar el cristalino.

BACKGROUND: A giant retinal tear is defined as a full thickness break in the neurosensory retina that extends circumferentially for 3 or more clock hours around the retina in the presence of a posterior vitreous detachment. It is one of the more complex surgical scenarios that a retina surgeon can face. There is no consensus on the ideal surgical technique; however, the "traditional" approach has been to perform a combined procedure including lensectomy, scleral buckle and vitrectomy. OBJECTIVE: To report the outcome over 2 years of five patients with giant retinal tears managed with lens sparing, bimanual 23-gauge vitrectomy without scleral buckle. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patients with giant retinal tears managed with lens sparing, bimanual 23-gauge vitrectomy without scleral buckle. Included in the analysis were age, lens status, etiology and size of the tear, pre- and postoperative visual acuity, anatomic success, tamponade used, laser or criopexy where recorded. RESULTS: Three patients had high myopia, one secondary to blunt trauma and one with Wagner-Stickler syndrome were included in the analysis. The size of the tear varied from 120-280°. Anatomic success was achieved in all patients. One patient developed proliferative vitreoretinopathy and was re-operated and the retina remained attached. CONCLUSIONS: In this group of selected patients, lens-sparing bimanual 23-gauge vitrectomy without scleral buckle seems a safe and effective option in the management of retinal detachment associated with giant retinal tears. Further prospective and comparative studies are warranted to establish the role of this technique in the treatment of patients with this complex pathology.

Antecedentes: el desgarro retiniano gigante es la rotura del espesor total de la retina neurosensorial con extensión circunferencial de 3 o más husos horarios aunado a desprendimiento de vítreo posterior, y constituye uno de los escenarios quirúrgicos más complejos para el cirujano de retina y vítreo. No existe consenso en cuanto a su manejo; sin embargo, tradicionalmente se ha empleado un abordaje que combina lensectomía, cerclaje y vitrectomía. Objetivo: reportar la evolución a dos años de 5 pacientes con desgarro gigante tratados con vitrectomía 23 g, abordaje bimanual, sin lensectomía y sin cerclaje escleral. Material y métodos: estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo de pacientes con desgarro retiniano gigante, tratados con vitrectomía 23 g, abordaje bimanual, sin lensectomía ni cerclaje escleral. Se estudiaron la edad, estado del cristalino, etiología y extensión del desgarro, agudeza visual, resultado anatómico, taponamiento usado, criopexia o láser. Resultados: se incluyeron 3 pacientes con miopía alta, 1 con traumatismo contuso y 1 con síndrome de Wagner-Stickler. La extensión del desgarro fue de 120 a 280°. Todos con éxito anatómico y mejoría de la agudeza visual. Un paciente con vitreorretinopatía proliferativa se reintervino y la retina permaneció aplicada hasta el final del periodo analizado. Conclusiones: en este selecto grupo de pacientes la vitrectomía calibre 23 con abordaje bimanual, sin cerclaje escleral y sin tocar el cristalino, dio buenos resultados anatómicos y visuales en un seguimiento a dos años. Para establecer el papel que corresponde a esta técnica en el tratamiento de esta compleja patología se requieren estudios prospectivos y comparativos.

Toxocariasis ocular: tratamiento médico y quirúrgico

La toxocariasis es una parasitosis de distribución mundial que afecta principalmente a niños y adolecentes. El globo coular es afectado en su segmento posterior, existiendo varias presentaciones clínicas. Este trabajo describe retrospectivamente 4 pacientes con un diagnóstico clinico y serológico de toxocariasis ocular. Los pacientes fueron tratados médicamente con albendazol y prednisona. El tratamiento quirúrgico consistió en vitrectomía y membranectomía. Los resultados visuales dependieron del sitio y tipo de lesión encontrada en la retina que condicionó la posibilidad de tratamiento quirúrgico, y no del tipo de evolución de la enfermedad.