Systematic review of economic evaluations in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus.

BACKGROUND: Economic evaluations in health care quantitatively compare interventions using cost and outcomes data. These evaluations can aid in the adoption of new surgical or medical treatments and inform policy decisions regarding healthcare spending. Several common types of economic analysis exist (cost-benefit, cost-analysis, cost-effectiveness, and cost-utility). We review all English-language economic evaluations in strabismus surgery and pediatric ophthalmology. METHODS: An electronic literature search of the PubMed and Health Economic Evaluations databases was conducted. Two reviewers independently reviewed the search string yield and assessed articles against inclusion and exclusion criteria. Outcome measures included journal of publication, year of publication, domain of ophthalmology, region/country of study, and type of economic evaluation. RESULTS: We identified 62 articles. Cost-utility studies comprised 30% of evaluations. The most studied domain was retinopathy of prematurity (33%), followed by amblyopia and vision screening (24%) and cataracts (14%). The Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus published the most economic evaluations (15%) followed by Ophthalmology and Pediatrics. The number of published economic evaluations did not increase over time. CONCLUSIONS: Economic evaluations in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus have not increased over time. A minority (30%) of studies used cost utility-analysis, limiting comparisons to other domains of medicine. This suggests the need to alert pediatric ophthalmologists to the benefits of economic analysis, and cost-utility methodology specifically, to better inform and influence policy decisions regarding healthcare spending.

Waardenburg syndrome-associated neurotrophic keratopathy in a child treated with neurotization surgery.

Waardenburg syndrome (WS) is a congenital developmental disorder characterized by congenital sensorineural hearing loss and pigmentary deficiencies in the iris, hair, and skin. Ocular associations of WS include choroidal and iris hypopigmentation and foveal hypoplasia. Possible associations include cataracts and retinal vein occlusion. We report the first case of neurotrophic cornea and relate our experience with neurotization surgery.

Low-concentration povidone-iodine for the prevention of intraocular infections in ophthalmic surgery.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Endophthamitis following intraocular surgery is rare using current antiseptic techniques, such as single application of 5% povidone-iodine to the ocular surface and adjuvant topical or intracameral antibiotics. Challenges remain, however, including increased multidrug-resistant bacterial endophthalmitis, increased fungal endophthalmitis, and the low but nonzero endophthalmitis rate attributable to the typical bacteria that colonize the ocular surface. RECENT FINDINGS: Povidone-iodine has a wide spectrum of activity, including activity against novel pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2. Povidone-iodine alternatives, such as hypochlorous acid can have significantly less efficacy in vitro against endophthalmitis isolates. Repetitive application of dilute povidone-iodine has an excellent safety profile and strong evidence base for efficacy. SUMMARY: Povidone-iodine is widely available, inexpensive, and commonly used by ophthalmologists. The repetitive application of dilute povidone-iodine is a well studied, well tolerated, and efficacious way to transiently sterilize the ocular surface during intraocular surgery. Additional benefits include activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria, fungi, and lack of inducible resistance.

Quantitatively comparing weekly changes in retinal vascular characteristics of eyes eventually treated versus not treated for retinopathy of prematurity.

PURPOSE: To quantitatively compare retinal vascular characteristics over time in eyes eventually treated versus not treated for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), using ROPtool analysis of narrow-field retinal images. METHODS: This longitudinal study used prospectively collected narrow-field retinal images of infants screened for ROP, prior to treatment, if needed. Images were analyzed using a methodology that combines quadrant-level measures from several images of the same eye. For the longitudinal analysis, one examination per postmenstrual age (PMA) was included per eye. We compared the following ROPtool indices and their change per week between eyes eventually treated versus not treated for ROP: tortuosity index (TI), dilation index (DI), sum of adjusted indices (SAI), and tortuosity-weighted plus (TWP). Analysis was performed on three levels: eye (mean value/eye), quadrant (highest quadrant value/eye), and blood vessel (highest blood vessel value/eye). RESULTS: Of 832 examinations (99 infants), 745 images (89.5%) had 3-4 quadrants analyzable by ROPtool. On the eye level, ROPtool indices differed between eyes eventually treated versus not treated at PMA of 33-35 and 37 weeks for TI, SAI, and TWP, and at PMA of 33-34 and 37 weeks for DI (P ≤ 0.0014), and change per week differed between eyes eventually treated versus not treated only for SAI at PMA of 32 weeks (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative analysis of retinal vascular characteristics using ROPtool can help predict eventual need for treatment for ROP as early as 32 weeks PMA. ROPtool index values were more useful than change in these indices to predict eyes that would eventually need treatment for ROP.

Povidone-iodine pharmacokinetics and study design.

Dr. Gnanasekaran et al. reported the bactericidal activity of various concentrations of povidone iodine (PI) solution in an agar plate experiment of respiratory flora. The study design and the pharmacokinetic properties of PI solution ensured that dilute PI would not be effective in this study. These results may not replicate the typical clinical situation and are significantly different than a previously reported agar plate experiment, again owing to subtle but very significant differences in methodology.

Delayed presentation of morning glory disc anomaly and transsphenoidal encephalocele: A management dilemma.

Background Morning glory disc anomaly (MGDA) is a rare developmental abnormality of the optic disc that is associated with many other neurological and vascular conditions. Most cases are diagnosed in childhood. Case Report We report a 57-year-old woman who presented to the ophthalmology department for assessment of long-standing poor vision in the left eye and exotropia. Examination showed a left MGDA and bitemporal hemianopsia. These findings prompted magnetic resonance imaging, revealing a transsphenoidal basal meningoencephalocele with herniation of the optic chiasm and inferior hypothalamus into the dural sac. Due to the eloquence of the neurovascular structures it contained, a decision was made not to reduce the meningoencephalocele. Instead, a ventriculoperitoneal shunt was placed. The patient's ophthalmologic examination remained stable over the following year. Conclusion While rare, MGDA can be first diagnosed in late adulthood and a thorough evaluation should be completed to assess for midline cranial defects, vascular abnormalities, and other associated abnormalities. Patients presenting late in life with basal encephalocele, herniation of the optic chiasm, and bitemporal hemianopsia present a management dilemma. In this case, a ventriculoperitoneal shunt was placed with the intention of lowering intracranial pressure to prevent further herniation and reduce the risk of cerebrospinal fluid leak.

Povidone-iodine concentration and dosing in cataract surgery.

Iodine has been recognized as an effective bactericide since the 1800s, and povidone-iodine (PI) solution has been applied to the ocular surface and periocular skin since the 1980s to prevent endophthalmitis in cataract surgery. In vitro, PI solution kills bacteria quickly at dilute concentrations (0.05%-1.0%). In many instances, PI kills bacteria more quickly at these dilute concentrations than more conventional (5%-10%) concentrations. This is due to greater availability of diatomic free iodine in dilute solution, the bactericidal component of PI. The toxicity of PI, both in vitro and clinically, has been shown to be related to concentration. Current American Academy of Ophthalmology and the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons recommendations regarding PI use suggest using 5% PI before surgery. An alternative dosing strategy uses dilute PI repetitively throughout cataract surgery (0.25% every 30 seconds). We review the povidone-iodine literature with attention to basic science and use of dilute PI.

Povidone-iodine concentration and in vitro killing time of bacterial corneal ulcer isolates.

Background: The concentration and dosing of povidone-iodine (PI) solution used in surgical site prophylaxis are variable. Prior in vitro work has demonstrated that dilute PI solutions (<1%) had greater bactericidal activity than stock solutions (10%). Studies using pathologic clinical isolates from the eye have yielded mixed results. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of different concentrations of PI on pathologic ocular surface isolates. Methods: We conducted an in vitro microbiology study using clinical isolates from corneal ulcers. Bacteria were recovered from trypticase soy agar with 5% sheep erythrocytes, chocolate agar, and thioglycollate broth media. A standardized concentration of each bacterial sample (1 × 108 cfu/ml) was exposed to various dilutions of PI. Quantitative cultures were performed to determine the number of organisms surviving PI exposure. Results: None of the isolates survived exposure to the PI 0.25% solution for 30 seconds. Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus aureus survived both 30-second and 1-minute exposure to PI 5% and 10%. The exposure time required to produce no growth was variable with concentrations of <0.25%. In some isolates, the 10% solution was faster than the more dilute solutions (0.1%, 0.05%). Conclusions: Our results are consistent with prior in vitro studies of PI, from nonocular sources, and suggest that PI has similar bactericidal action on pathologic bacteria from the ocular surface. In vitro exposure to dilute PI (0.25%) resulted in no growth after 30 seconds, whereas 10% and 5% solutions took longer to kill several of the isolates. Future investigations of PI use in ophthalmology as an antimicrobial agent should include the study of low-concentration PI (0.25%).

Inpatient and emergency service utilization in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Many patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) are diagnosed in the emergency department (ED) or visit the ED during the course of their illness. We studied the use of inpatient and emergency services, determined what procedures and tests were provided at those encounters, evaluated how these variables changed over the study period and examined the coding validity of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 code for IIH (348.2) for adult patients seen in our affiliated EDs and inpatient services. METHODS: Retrospective review of medical records over a 11-year period (2000-2011). RESULTS: We were able to analyze 137 encounters from 51 patients. Sixty-eight percent of encounters were to the ED and 40% of those patients were subsequently admitted to the hospital. The most common symptoms were headaches (96%), vision change (53%), and photophobia (27%). Recurrent symptoms accounted for 43% of encounters, followed by surgical complications (26%) and initial presentation (12%). Four patients (25% of the patients who received a diagnosis in the ED) were misdiagnosed at their initial presentation and correctly diagnosed on a subsequent ED visit. The number of ED visits more than doubled over the study period. The ICD-9 code had a low positive predictive value (55%) for identifying patients with IIH. CONCLUSIONS: The ED was commonly used by patients with IIH, with a mean of 2.7 visits per patient. The rate of a missed diagnosis was similar to another published series and is concerning for potentially permanent visual loss in undiagnosed patients. In our experience, the ICD-9 code vastly overestimated the number of ED and inpatient encounters attributable to IIH. This has important implications for research studies, particularly those relying on national inpatient databases.