Efficacy of nimesulide in the prevention of inflammatory complications after laser treatment of ocular diseases.

A total of 40 patients with various ocular diseases were treated with nimesulide 200 mg/day or ketoprofen 150 mg/day for 7 days after laser therapy. The incidence of ocular complications was lower in patients treated with nimesulide than with ketoprofen. With regard to posterior segment changes, retinal oedema was reduced in patients treated with nimesulide. After laser treatment, anterior segment changes were modest. These preliminary results stress the efficacy of nimesulide in preventing oedema and also its anti-inflammatory effects on the retina after ocular laser therapy.

Is taurine a marker for retinitis pigmentosa?

In view of contrary reports in the literature on anomalies of taurine concentration in the blood of retinitis pigmentosa patients, taurine clearance has been determined in 19 patients and 17 controls. No significant difference has been found between the average values of the two populations. The taurine content in cataractous crystalline lenses of retinitis pigmentosa patients has been found higher than the taurine content in lenses with senile cataract, but the same behaviour was also shown by five selected proteogenic amino acids. The results are discussed together with related literature data to conclude that taurine can be involved at least in some subtypes of retinitis pigmentosa, but cannot be considered as a marker for the disease.

Orbital cobalt radiotherapy and systemic or retrobulbar corticosteroids for Graves' ophthalmopathy.

Orbital radiotherapy and corticosteroids are two well-established medical treatments for severe Graves' ophthalmopathy. In this report we analyze the results obtained by the combination of orbital radiotherapy and systemic or retrobulbar corticosteroids in patients with severe Graves' ophthalmopathy. Orbital cobalt radiotherapy was carried out by a cobalt unit, delivering a total of 2,000 rads to each eye in 10 daily doses. Systemic corticosteroid treatment was started with 70-80 mg methylprednisolone/day for 2-3 weeks with subsequent progressive reduction of the dose until discontinuation of the drug after 5-6 months. Retrobulbar corticosteroid therapy was performed by 14 bilateral injections of 40 mg methylprednisolone acetate at 20- to 30-day intervals. Results were evaluated both on clinical grounds and by numerical scoring (ophthalmopathy index, OI). Excellent or good responses were obtained in the majority of 72 patients by combined treatment with orbital cobalt radiotherapy and systemic corticosteroids. Soft tissue changes, newly developed eye muscle dysfunction and optic neuropathy showed the most beneficial effects from treatment, whereas proptosis, corneal lesions and long-standing eye muscle abnormalities responded to a lesser extent. The results of a controlled clinical trial showed that the combined treatment was more effective than the administration of systemic methylprednisolone alone. Because relevant side effects of systemic corticosteroid therapy were observed in 4 cases, the clinical validity of retrobulbar corticosteroids in substitution for systemic corticosteroids was evaluated in 44 patients. Excellent or good responses were observed in 25% of these patients, slight responses being obtained in 55% and no change in 20%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Orbital cobalt irradiation combined with retrobulbar or systemic corticosteroids for Graves' ophthalmopathy: a comparative study.

Combined therapy with systemic corticosteroids and orbital cobalt radiotherapy has been shown to be an effective treatment of severe Graves' ophthalmopathy. The potentially serious side-effects of large doses of systemic corticosteroids prompted us to evaluate the use of retrobulbar corticosteroids instead of systemic corticosteroids. Forty-four patients with active Graves' ophthalmopathy were given orbital cobalt irradiation (total dose 2000 rads) and retrobulbar methylprednisolone acetate (14 bilateral injections at 20-30 d intervals). The degree of ocular involvement and responses to treatment were evaluated by numerical scoring (ophthalmopathy index, OI) and clinical assessment. Excellent or good responses were observed in 11 out of 44 patients (25%), 24 (55%) showed slight responses, and no change was found in 9 patients (20%). The initial OI mean score was 5.9; the final score was 3.2, with a change of -2.7 (P less than 0.001). Regression or partial improvement was observed in most cases (35/44, 80%) with soft tissue changes, and in all 9 cases with sight loss due to optic neuropathy. Proptosis, corneal lesions and extra-ocular muscle involvement were less responsive, since regression or partial improvement was observed in 39% (12/31), 50% (8/16) and 31% (13/42), respectively. No major side-effects were observed. The effects of this type of therapy and those obtained by combined therapy with systemic corticosteroids and orbital radiotherapy were compared in two groups of 30 patients each, randomly assigned to either treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)