[Treatment results for acute retinal necrosis].

PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical course of patients with acute retinal necrosis (ARN) in order to evaluate the efficacy of treatment. METHODS: Clinical characteristics, causative virus, treatment and clinical course were analyzed in 14 eyes of 14 patients with ARN who presented between December 2000 and April 2008. RESULTS: All patients were treated with systemic anti-viral agents. Four eyes (29%) did not develop retinal detachment nor did they undergo prophylactic vitreous surgery; 3 of these eyes were of patients with baseline systemic diseases and were in a state of relative immunosuppression. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment occurred in 6 eyes (43%) for which vitreous surgery with silicone oil tamponade was performed. Successful retinal reattachment was obtained in 5 of these eyes, although the silicone oil could not be removed in 3 eyes judged to be at high risk for recurrent detachment. Prophylactic vitreous surgery was performed in 3 eyes (21%) that had no retinal detachment. The indication for surgery in these eyes was an acute worsening of vitreous haze obscuring view of the fundus. Two of these eyes required a second surgical procedure, but all 3 eyes maintained useful vision with final attachment of the retina. CONCLUSIONS: Good outcomes were obtained in ARN patients who at baseline were in a state of relative immunosuppression, suggesting a role for strong immune reactions in the development of retinal detachment in ARN. Silicone oil could not be removed in most eyes that had undergone vitreous surgery after the onset of retinal detachment. Indications for the use of prophylactic vitreous surgery for ARN eyes without retinal detachment require further evaluation.

[Clinical features of endophthalmitis after cataract surgery evaluated by the presence of background factors].

PURPOSE: The clinical features and visual prognosis after vitrectomy for endophthalmitis which had developed after cataract surgery were compared in two groups with or without background factors, including malignant tumor, diabetes, oral steroid administration, collagen disease, dacryocystitis, and lid closure disturbance. METHOD: Fifty-two patients (53 eyes) who underwent a vitrectomy for the treatment of endophthalmitis which had developed within 6 weeks after cataract surgery. They were divided into two groups according to the presence (21 eyes, group A) or absence (32 eyes, group B) of background factors, and were retrospectively compared based on their medical records. RESULTS: The culture-positive rate was 62% in group A and 69% in group B. The incidence of a final visual acuity of more than 20/20 was significantly lower in group A (14%) than in group B (47%, p < 0.05). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, alpha-hemolytic Streptococcus and Enterococcus were frequently identified in group A. Leakage from the cataract wound was found in about 80% of the patients with corneal incisions, and a wound that had not been covered by the conjunctiva was significantly more frequent as a factor in group A (group A, 13 eyes; group B, 10 eyes; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Postoperative endophthalmitis may have a less favorable visual prognosis in patients with background factors, so precise wound construction during cataract surgery is important in these patients.

Islet-like cell clusters: viability, cell types, and subretinal transplantation in pancreatectomized cats.

We investigated a method for isolating sufficient feline islets of Langerhans to restore normoglycaemia following transplantation into the subretinal space of pancreatectomized cats. Collagenase digestate of feline pancreas was maintained in serum-free tissue culture medium for 1-9 days. Viability of islet-like cell clusters (ICC) was assessed with ethidium bromide and fluorescein diacetate staining; cell types were identified immunohistochemically. After nine days, the ICC were transplanted. We estimated viable ICC in tissue culture at nine days as 3800 +/- 2000 (mean +/- SD) per pancreas. While numbers of beta cells decreased over time in culture, ductal cells increased. Bromodeoxyuridine labelling showed no proliferation of beta cells but extensive proliferation of ductal cells. Subretinal transplants of cultured ICC in the diabetic cats maintained normoglycaemia for up to 12 days, while they provoked massive lymphocyte infiltration indicating rejection. Islet transplantation into the feline subretinal space temporarily restored normoglycaemia. Our current method of culture achieved sufficient reduction of acinar cells but an insufficient yield of insulin-producing cells.

[Recent outcomes of vitreous surgery for diabetic retinopathy].

PURPOSE: To investigate background, surgical method, complications, prognosis, and prognostic factors in patients undergoing vitrectomy for diabetic retinopathy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Three hundred and forty eyes of 261 patients undergoing vitrectomy for diabetic retinopathy in five recent years were studied regarding background, surgical method, complications, and visual prognosis. Factors influencing postoperative visual acuity and complications were also examined using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Final postoperative visual acuity (FPVA) improved in 226 eyes (66%). FPVA of 0.1 or better and 0.5 or better was achieved in 80% and 45% of all patients, respectively. Postoperative complications occurred in 89 eyes(26%). In the vitreous hemorrhage group, FPVA improved in 86%, and FPVA of 0.5 or better was achieved in 60%. Postoperative complications were most common in the traction detachment group and the percentage was 40%. Factors influencing FPVA were preoperative visual acuity, postoperative complications, indications for surgery, and preoperative severity. Factors influencing postoperative complications were patient background, preoperative visual acuity, preoperative severity, and iatrogenic breaks. CONCLUSIONS: Vitrectomy is a useful method for diabetic retinopathy but postoperative complications must be managed.

Survival of subretinal pancreatic islet cell allografts and apoptosis in infiltrating lymphocytes in rats.

Survival of pancreatic islet cells transplanted into the subretinal space in rat eyes was studied in relation with apoptosis of infiltrating lymphocytes. Islets isolated from inbred DA rats were transplanted into the subretinal space of fully MHC-mismatched Lewis rats. Syngeneic subretinal transplants and allogeneic subretinal transplants from Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were performed as controls. From 7 to 60 days after transplantation, immunoperoxidase staining for insulin, glucagon, CD4, CD8, and interleukin (IL)-2, and evaluation of apoptosis using nick-end labeling (TUNEL) were performed. Fully MHC-mismatched grafts were rejected by day 14, showing massive infiltration by CD4+, CD8+, and IL-2+ lymphocytes. Syngeneic transplants and allografts in SD rats survived up to 60 days without appreciable lymphocytic infiltration. Endocrine cells were the major component of surviving transplanted tissue. No difference in distribution of TUNEL+ cells was seen between syngeneic transplants and subretinal allografts in SD rats on day 60. A few TUNEL+ CD8+ lymphocytes were found in rejected MHC-mismatched transplants, but apoptotic lymphocytes were not seen in surviving or syngeneic grafts. Pancreatic islet survival in the subretinal space is MHC dependent. Accumulation of infiltrating lymphocytes may be suppressed by a modified immune response.

[Vitrectomy for endophthalmitis after cataract surgery].

PURPOSE: To identify risk factors of poor visual outcome with vitrectomy for early-onset endophthalmitis after cataract surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinical records of 29 consecutive eyes with endophthalmitis developing within 6 weeks after cataract surgery and that underwent therapeutic vitrectomy between June 1996 and April 2001 were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty-two of the eyes received intravitreal injections of vancomycin and ceftazidime at the time of vitrectomy, and all patients received intravenous antibiotics. Eyes were divided into two groups; group A consisted of 22 eyes with a final visual acuity of 0.2 or greater, and group B consisted of 7 eyes with a final visual acuity of less than 0.2. RESULTS: Fifteen eyes (52%) in group A achieved a visual acuity of 0.5 or better and 8(28%) achieved a visual acuity of 1.0, while 4 eyes in group B developed phthisis bulbi. For eyes with a preoperative visual acuity of hand motions or worse, there was no correlation between final visual acuity and preoperative visual acuity. The overall culture-positive rate was 57%. In group A, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis was identified in 6 eyes, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in 3 eyes and enterococcus in 2 eyes. In group B, alpha-hemolytic streptococcus (AHS) was identified in 4 eyes, aspergillus in 1 eye, and MRSA in 1 eye. All isolates were sensitive to vancomycin with the exception of the aspergillus. AHS infection appeared to be associated with wound failure from the initial cataract surgery and a poor visual outcome. Among 3 of the eyes that developed phthisis bulbi, intravitreal injection of antibiotics was not performed. CONCLUSION: Early vitrectomy and intravitreal injection of vancomycin may improve visual outcomes, but infection with AHS may be associated with cataract surgery wound failure and poor visual outcomes.

A photopolymerized sealant for corneal lacerations.

PURPOSE: To determine whether a novel photocrosslinkable polymer synthesized from hyaluronic acid would seal experimental full-thickness corneal lacerations in a rabbit model. METHODS: A solution of hyaluronic acid was modified with methacrylate groups (HA-MA), precipitated, dried, reconstituted in an aqueous solution, and sterilized before use. The viscous polymer solution was applied to 38 of 43 experimental corneal lacerations in rabbits and subsequently irradiated with a low-intensity argon laser beam to produce a clear flexible polysaccharide hydrogel patch. The ability of this sealant to repair corneal lacerations was evaluated in four types of full-thickness, 3-mm corneal wounds (linear, linear + epithelium removed, stellate, and stellate + epithelium removed). Slit-lamp examinations, measurements of intraocular pressure, Seidel tests, and histologic studies were performed at selected intervals to evaluate the wound and determine the rate of healing. RESULTS: Corneal perforations were completely sealed and the anterior chambers had reformed by 6 hours in HA-MA-treated eyes. There was no evidence of leakage at this or later times in 37 of the 38 eyes. Intraocular pressure had risen to near-normal levels by day 7 in all four groups, and the sealant was still present in most eyes at day 7. In contrast, the anterior chambers did not re-form in control eyes (five) with untreated perforations because of aqueous leakage through the wounds. Minimal inflammation was observed clinically or in histologic sections of treated corneas. There was extensive proliferation of stromal cells and formation of new extracellular matrix at the wound edges, which became tightly adherent between days 4 and 7. CONCLUSION: Our novel photocrosslinkable methacrylated hyaluronan polymer sealed 97% (37/38) of the experimental corneal lacerations. HA-MA may prove useful for sealing corneal lacerations in patients and for other sutureless ophthalmic surgical procedures.