Postoperative Pain after Different Transscleral Laser Cyclophotocoagulation Procedures.

BACKGROUND: As the number of surgical options in glaucoma treatment is continuously rising, evidence regarding distinctive features of these surgeries is becoming more and more important for clinicians to choose the right surgical treatment for each individual patient. METHODS: For this retrospective data analysis, we included glaucoma patients treated with either continuous wave (CW-TSCPC) or micropulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (MP-TSCPC) in an inpatient setting. Pain intensity was assessed using a numeric rating scale (NRS) ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain) during hospitalization. CW-TSCPC was performed using OcuLight® Six (IRIDEX Corporation, Mountain View, CA, USA) and MP-TSCPC was performed using the IRIDEX® Cyclo-G6 System (IRIDEX Corporation, Mountain View, CA, USA). RESULTS: A total of 243 consecutive cases of TSCPC were included. Of these, 144 (59.26%) were treated with CW-TSCPC and 99 (40.74%) with MP-TSCPC. Using the univariable model, the risk for postoperative pain was observed to be lower in MP-TSCPC compared with CW-TSCPC (unadjusted: OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.24-0.84, p = 0.017), but this did not hold using the multivariable model (adjusted: OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.27-1.02, p = 0.056). Simultaneously conducted anterior retinal cryotherapy was associated with a higher risk for postoperative pain (OR 4.41, 95% CI 2.01-9.69, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We found that the occurrence of postoperative pain was not different in CW-TSCPC compared with MP-TSCPC in a multivariable model. In cases of simultaneous anterior retinal cryotherapy, the risk for postoperative pain was significantly higher.

Recurrent venous thrombosis despite 'optimal anticoagulation therapy' for antiphospholipid syndrome--could new oral anticoagulants solve the problem?

The aim was to determine the validity of the international normalized ratio (INR) and prothrombin time (PT) as a monitor for warfarin therapy in patients with lupus anticoagulants and recurrent thrombosis, and to investigate alternative approaches to monitoring warfarin therapy and new treatment options in these patients. A case is described of a 63-year-old female with antiphospholipid syndrome and recurrent venous thrombosis despite optimal adjusted warfarin therapy. In patients with lupus anticoagulants, the INRs obtained while receiving warfarin vary and often overestimate the extent of anticoagulation, while PT without receiving warfarin is often prolonged. In conclusion, lupus anticoagulants can influence PT and lead to INR that does not accurately reflect the true level of anticoagulation. Optimizing of (warfarin) oral anticoagulation therapy could be achieved by individual monitoring of anticoagulation effect with a test thatis insensitive to lupus anticoagulants (chromogenic factor X assay). Emerging oral anticoagulants, direct thrombin inhibitors and direct factor Xa inhibitors, such as dabigatran and rivaroxaban, with a predictable anticoagulant response and little potential for food or drug interactions, have been designed to be administered in fixed doses without coagulation monitoring and could be the treatment choice for these patients.