[Effectiveness and safety of brolucizumab in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration]. / Effektivnost' i bezopasnost' brolutsizumaba v lechenii neovaskulyarnoi vozrastnoi makulyarnoi degeneratsii.

PURPOSE: This study analyzes the effectiveness and safety of brolucizumab in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in real clinical practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included patients with nAMD who received brolucizumab treatment and evaluated the changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal thickness (CRT), macular volume, as well as the number of injections and adverse events. RESULT: The group of previously treated patients included 28 subjects (28 eyes) that were switched to brolucizumab with a loading phase. By 12 months, BCVA changed from 0.43±0.29 to 0.33±0.27 LogMAR (p=0.11), CRT decreased from 281.5±58.2 to 239.9±45.6 µm (p=0.02). The group of previously untreated patients included 29 subjects (29 eyes). By 12 months, BCVA changed from 0.47±0.32 to 0.40±0.30 LogMAR (p=0.09), CRT decreased from 333.2±77.3 to 226.2±49.6 µm (p<0.001). Patients received 6.3±0.7 injections. In this group, baseline choroidal thickness showed a statistically significant correlation with final visual acuity (r=0.54; p<0.05) and CRT (r= -0.5; p<0.05). The group of previously treated patients switched without a loading phase included 18 patients (18 eyes). By 6 months, BCVA changed from 0.42±0.2 to 0.37±0.26 LogMAR (p=0.42). CRT remained stable at 285.6±56.9 µm (p=0.97). No adverse events related to intraocular inflammation were reported during the course of 385 injections. CONCLUSION: Brolucizumab therapy helps achieve significant anatomical and functional improvements in real clinical practice both in patients switched from previous treatments and in treatment-naïve patients. Greater baseline choroidal thickness may be associated with better anatomical and functional outcomes with brolucizumab treatment.

[Ocular complications in intense pulsed light therapy (case study)]. / Glaznye oslozhneniya intensivnoi fototerapii (klinicheskoe nablyudenie).

A 24-year-old female patient with photophobia, discoria, redness and dryness in her right eye after intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy applied for posttraumatic subcutaneous hemorrhage received a comprehensive ophthalmic examination including optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography of the anterior eye segment. Her best corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes. Medically induced mydriasis revealed discoria with paresis of pupil dilatator in the left eye (pupil size 4.2 mm and 6.6 mm in the right and left eye, respectively). Anterior segment OCT showed anterior chamber cytosis and increased iris vascularity. The patient was prescribed topical 1.0% tropicamide 2 times per day and 1.0% dexamethasone 4 times per day for two weeks. Examination performed after 3 months showed no restoration of pupil dilatator function in the left eye. The case demonstrates potential ocular complications of IPL therapy, which may include iris burn with iritis and persistent pupil dilatator dysfunction.

[Short-term experience of intravitreal brolucizumab in treatment of diabetic macular edema]. / Kratkosrochnyi opyt primeneniya brolutsizumaba v lechenii diabeticheskogo makulyarnogo oteka.

PURPOSE: This study examines the efficacy and safety of brolucizumab in the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME) in real clinical practice in the Russian Federation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 14 consecutive treatment-naïve DME patients, among them 7 males and 7 females (21 eyes in total) with mean age of 65.1±8.0 years. Patients underwent standard ophthalmological examination and multimodal imaging, including optical coherence tomography. All patients received intravitreal injections of brolucizumab every 6 weeks. A total of 73 injections were performed. A data analysis was performed for 10 eyes of 10 patients 6 months after initiation of the treatment. RESULTS: After 4 injections of brolucizumab, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) increased statistically significantly from 35.8±13.7 to 41.5±11.9 ETDRS letters (p=0.03), central retinal thickness (CRT) and macular volume (MV) decreased from 411.5±107.4 to 280.2±64.6 microns (p=0.014) and from 7.39±0.92 to 6.16±7.37 mm3 (p=0.0006), respectively. The average gain of visual acuity was 5.7±7.0 letters, average decrease of CRT was -131.3±91.2, and average decrease of MV was -1.21±0.75 mm3. There were no adverse events associated with intraocular inflammation. CONCLUSION: Intravitreal injections of brolucizumab provide significant anatomical and functional improvement to DME patients in real clinical practice with results comparable to that of randomized clinical trials.

[Short-term efficacy and safety of Brolucizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration in the Russian Federation]. / Kratkosrochnye dannye effektivnosti i bezopasnosti primeneniya preparata «Brolutsizumab¼ pri lechenii neovaskulyarnoi vozrastnoi makulyarnoi degeneratsii na territorii Rossiiskoi Federatsii.

PURPOSE: To analyze the short-term efficacy and safety of Brolucizumab in the treatment of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective pilot study included 154 patients (51 males and 103 females, mean age 73.9±8.1 years). Among the 154 patients, 97 (63.0%) had previously been treated with anti-VEGF drugs and were included in this study due to continuing disease activity. All study patients underwent standard ophthalmological examination and optical coherence tomography at the initial visit as well as at each monthly visit. RESULTS: A total of 283 Brolucizumab injections were performed in two ophthalmic care centers. In total, 49.4%, 24.0%, 20.1%, 6.5% of patients received 1, 2, 3 and 4 injections, respectively. Central retinal thickness has significantly decreased from 301±79 to 230±41 µm (p<0.05) in the ophthalmic center of the Military Medical Academy (site 1), and from 418±102 to 217±50 µm (p<0.05) in the ophthalmic center of the Institute of the Human Brain (site 2). The prevalence of subretinal and sub-RPE fluid has decreased statistically significantly (p<0.05) in patients of both sites. Visual acuity has not changed significantly (p>0.05) in patients of both sites. One case of mild vitreitis was registered, it was successfully treated with topical steroids. CONCLUSIONS: Both treatment-naive nAMD patients and those with the disease remaining active despite anti-VEGF therapy showed a significant decrease in disease activity. In this short-term study, the cumulative risk of intraocular inflammation associated with brolucizumab therapy amounted to 0.65%.

[OCT visualization of hyporeflective lacuna in the retrolental space]. / OKT-assotsiirovannaya vizualizatsiya giporeflektivnoi lakuny v retrolental'nom prostranstve.

PURPOSE: To investigate the vitreo-lenticular interface and anterior vitreous using high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective single-center pilot study included 34 patients (68 eyes) - 6 males and 28 females with a mean age of 58.4±12.0 years (age range 24-81 years). OCT scanning was performed on the spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) device SOLIX (OPTOVUE, USA) in the Full Range AC mode with the following scan parameters: from 14 to 18 mm in horizontal length and 6.25 mm in the axial dimension. To improve the signal-to-noise ratio and increase image clarity of the final scan, averaging of eight simultaneous scans was performed. RESULTS: In all healthy volunteers, hyporeflective retrolental cavities-lacunae were observed in both eyes during visualization of the retrolental space in the horizontal and vertical planes. The median distance from the posterior pole of the lens to the lacuna was 697 µm. The median width of the lacuna was 157 µm. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, we consider this to be one of the first in vivo visualizations of a previously undescribed structure - hyporeflective retrolental lacuna - using SOLIX high-resolution OCT device. The retrolental lacuna may play the role of a buffer system, or belong to the lymphatic system of the vitreous body and the eye.

[Retrolental amyloidosis of the vitreous body (case study)]. / Retrolental'nyi amiloidoz steklovidnogo tela (klinicheskoe nablyudenie).

Accumulations of pathological amyloid protein in the vitreous can be a pathognomonic morphological sign of systemic amyloidosis, which is characterized by deposition of insoluble fibrillar protein aggregates (amyloid) in various organs and tissues. The article describes a clinical case of a female 65-year-old patient with bilateral vitreous floaters and histologically confirmed vitreous amyloidosis on the right eye. The patient had undergone YAG laser vitreolysis of the right eye 3 years ago on the Ultra Q Reflex system («Ellex¼, Australia) to treat an atypical Weiss ring. Diagnosis of vitreous amyloidosis was confirmed using the following equipment: video slit lamp SL9900 («CSO¼, Italy), optical coherence tomography system Solix («Optovue¼, USA), B-scan Plus («Accutome¼, USA), microscope CX41RF («Olympus Corporation¼, Japan). Due to significant visual deterioration in the right eye, the patient underwent vitrectomy. Microscopic examination of the surgical sample showed the presence of amyloid deposits revealed by the brick-red specific staining with congo red dye and apple-green birefringence of the stained areas in polarized light.

[Evaluation of choriocapillaris with high-speed spectral-domain optical coherence tomography angiography and image averaging]. / Otsenka statusa khoriokapillyarisa s pomoshch'yu vysokoskorostnoi spektral'noi opticheskoi kogerentnoi tomografii s funktsiei angiografii i tekhnologii usredneniya izobrazhenii.

PURPOSE: To study the capabilities of high-speed spectral-domain optical coherence tomography angiography (SD-OCTA) with image averaging in the evaluation of choriocapillaries in healthy individuals and patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: All participants underwent OCTA examination on the SOLIX tomograph (Optovue, USA) using quadruplicate 3×3 mm scan with image averaging. Image analysis was performed in 9-µm custom slab with Phansalkar auto local threshold algorithm and calculation of flow voids larger than 5000 µm2 and 10 000 µm2. The optimal slab depth was determined in healthy eyes by consecutive analysis of the slabs with a 3-µm shift from zero position to 33 µm below Bruch's membrane. RESULTS: The study included 18 eyes of 18 healthy volunteers (40.4±6.0 years old) and 18 fellow eyes of 18 unilateral CSC patients (37.4±10.7 years old). The slab 12 µm below the Bruch's membrane showed the minimal number of flow voids (23.1±7.0 of >5000 µm2 voids per scan) and was chosen for further analysis. The number of flow voids of >5000 µm2 in healthy paired eyes of CSC patients was statistically significantly higher than in the eyes of healthy individuals (32.7±10.7 and 25.3±8.1 voids/scan, respectively; p=0.022). The number of flow voids of >10000 µm2 was also statistically significantly higher in CSC eyes compared to healthy eyes (5.6±3.3 and 3.5±1.9 voids/scan, respectively; p=0.045). There was no statistically significant difference in total area of the voids between the eyes of healthy individuals and CSC patients (96406.1±3924.5 µm2 and 95395.7 ± 3615.1 µm2, respectively; p=0.42). CONCLUSION: The optimal settings for choriocapillaris imaging on the SOLIX tomograph include 9-µm slab 9 to 18 µm below the Bruch's membrane. Using a 9-µm slab 12 µm below the Bruch's membrane, a substantial difference was found in choriocapillaris perfusion between eyes of healthy individuals and CSC patients.

[Non-contact navigated laser retinopexy for peripheral retinal tears and rhegmatogenous degenerations: first experience]. / Pervyi opyt beskontaktnoi navigatsionnoi lazernoi retinopeksii perifericheskikh razryvov i regmatogennykh degeneratsii setchatki.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the first outcomes of non-contact navigated laser retinopexy for peripheral tears and rhegmatogenous degenerations of the retina. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective single-center interventional pilot study included 58 patients (68 eyes), among which 19 males and 39 females aged 47.5±16.9 years with peripheral retinal degenerations and symptomatic retinal tears who received non-contact laser retinopexy with the Navilas 577s navigated laser system and non-contact PRP widefield objective. All patients (68 eyes) underwent laser treatment for the following disorders: horseshoe tear in 13 eyes, retinal hole in 11 eyes, operculated retinal hole in 3 eyes, lattice degeneration in 19 eyes, snail track degeneration in 1 eye, vitreoretinal tufts in 16 eyes, and progressing bullous retinoschisis in 5 eyes. Pain intensity was assessed using a four-point verbal rating scale. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for 5 to 21 months (9.0±3.3 months on average). Stable condition of the retina was observed in 65 cases (95.5%). In 3 eyes (4.4%), newly formed retinal tears prompted additional laser treatment: horseshoe tear in 2 eyes and retinal hole in 1 eye. The mean pain score during non-contact navigated laser retinopexy was 0.9±0.5. No complications associated with laser treatment were observed. CONCLUSION: Non-contact navigated laser retinopexy performed with the Navilas 577s navigated laser system is a safe and well-tolerated procedure with effectiveness comparable to conventional laser retinopexy.

[Selective panretinal laser photocoagulation in ischemic central retinal vein occlusion]. / Selektivnaya panretinal'naya lazernaya koagulyatsiya pri ishemicheskikh okklyuziyakh tsentral'noi veny setchatki.

PURPOSE: To compare the effectiveness and safety of panretinal laser photocoagulation targeting far-periphery (sPRP) versus conventional panretinal laser photocoagulation (cPRP) in patients with ischemic central retinal vein occlusion (iCRVO) in terms of the degree of macular edema. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included eight (5 males and 3 females, mean age 59.4±17.2 years) and seven (6 males and 1 female, mean age 75.7±9.1 years) patients in sPRP and cPRP groups, respectively. iCRVO was defined as a CRVO case with baseline best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of <0.2, central retinal thickness (CRT) of >500 µm and severe intraretinal hemorrhages. sPRP included dense photocoagulation of far-periphery over 360˚ and standard photocoagulation of the mid-periphery. Primary outcome measures were CRT and macular volume at the end of the follow-up. BCVA served as the secondary outcome measure. RESULTS: The median of the follow-up period was 9.5 months (ranged from 1.5 to 19 months). In the sPRP group, at the end of the follow-up both CRT and macular volume significantly decreased from 892.0±149.4 µm to 391.8±131.2 µm (p<0.001) and from 16.6±4.1 mm3 to 9.7±1.4 mm3, respectively (p=0.008). In the cPRP group, at the end of the follow-up CRT and macular volume changes were statistically insignificant: from 761.0±162.1 µm to 705.0±181.8 µm (p=0.46) and from 13.6± 3.2 mm3 to 11.8±1.7 mm3, respectively (p=0.38). At the end of the follow-up, cPRP group did not have changes in BCVA, while in the sPRP group BCVA increased statistically significantly from 1.45±0.6 LogMAR (≈0.06) to 1.1±0.6 LogMAR (≈0.14) (p=0.03). There were no adverse events or complications associated with laser treatment in any of the study patients. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the superiority of sPRP compared with cPRP for treatment of patients with iCRVO, showing that selective laser treatment of the far-periphery results in significant reduction of macular edema associated with severe retinal ischemia.

[Optical coherence tomography angiography in paracentral acute middle maculopathy (a case report)]. / Opticheskaia kogerentnaia tomografiia-angiografiia v diagnostike paratsentral'noi ostroi sredinnoi makulopatii (klinicheskii sluchai).

PURPOSE: To describe a case of paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) from the perspective of multimodal visualization and characterize it using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Multimodal imaging of the eye structures was used to investigate the right eye of a patient with PAMM. Infrared scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (IR-SLO), scanning laser ophthalmoscopy in autofluorescence mode and fluorescein angiography (FAG) were performed with scanning laser ophthalmoscope F-10 ('Nidek Co', Japan). Spectral domain OCT and OCT-A were performed with Copernicus REVO ('OPTOPOL Technology', Poland). RESULTS: IR-SLO showed paracentral hyporeflective area less than one optic nerve head in measure corresponding to an area of early hypofluorescence seen in FAG. OCT results included hyperreflectivity of the inner nuclear layer and slight decrease of central retinal thickness. OCT-A revealed hyperperfusion area in superficial retinal capillary plexus and hypoperfusion area in deep retinal capillary plexus. CONCLUSION: OCT-A is the most informative method for PAMM diagnostics. OCT-A findings confirm the vascular nature of PAMM. Separate analyses of retinal capillary plexuses with OCT-A evidences ischemia occurring mainly in deep retinal capillary.

[Eye as an object of investigation of cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease]. / Organ zreniia kak ob''ekt izucheniia narushenii kognitivnykh funktsii pri bolezni Parkinsona.

AIM: To study visual and spatial disorders in Parkinson's disease (PD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and eighteen patients with PD and 30 healthy people (the control group) were studied. All participants underwent neurological and ophthalmological examinations. PD progression was assessed using The Hoehn and Yahr scale. MMSE, FAB and other psychological tests were administered. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and MRI of the brain were performed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The relationship of the variation in the thickness of various parts of the retina and brain cortex with cognitive deficit that manifests itself as visual-spatial disturbances is shown. The complex diagnostic technique, including neuropsychological and instrumental method (OCT of the retina, MRI of the brain with MRI-morphometry), should be used.

[Optical coherence tomography in diagnostics and treatment of central serous chorioretinopathy]. / Opticheskaia kogerentnaia tomografiia v diagnostike i lechenii tsentral'noi seroznoi khorioretinopatii.

PURPOSE: To identify the signs of leakage points in central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) patients using optical coherence tomography (OCT) allowing focal laser photocoagulation (FLP) to be performed without the need for fluorescein angiography (FA) in their treatment; to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the approach. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The retrospective part of the study included 54 patients (54 eyes) with distinctive signs of CSC further confirmed by the presence of a leakage point as could be seen with FA. The number of pigment epithelial detachments (PED), the thickness of the photoreceptor outer segments (PROS) layer, maximum horizontal length of the photoreceptor thinning area, and morphological changes in the outer retinal layers were evaluated with OCT. Using FA for each leakage point, its localization and coincidence with PED were evaluated in retro-mode confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and OCT images, respectively. The prospective part of the study included 11 CSC patients (11 eyes) who underwent en face OCT-guided FLP of the leakage point with NAVILAS 532 system. RESULTS: The leakage points were found to coincide with PED in 50 eyes (92.6%). Mean distance from the superior border of the retinal detachment area to the leakage point was 28.8±14.1% of the retinal detachment height. In 90.3% of cases the PROS layer in the area above the PED was thinner (23.3±7.8 µm) compared to the area outside the leakage point (64.0±9.4 µm) (p<0.001). FA-free OCT-guided FLP required in average 3.3±0.5 laser burns per leakage point. Complete resolution of subretinal fluid occurred in all treated eyes within 7.5±1.0 weeks after the surgery, and no adverse events were observed. CONCLUSION: Coincidence of PED in the superior half of the area of retinal detachment with thinning of the PROS layer as seen on OCT can be considered a reliable sign of the leakage point. The FA-free FLP based on OCT appears to be an effective and safe procedure for the treatment of CSC.