Weight Loss in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: A Retrospective Review of Outcomes in the Clinical Setting.

BACKGROUND: Weight loss is important in the management of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH); however, extremely caloric restrictive diets have been used in published studies, which may not be practical for all patients. We aim to review the weight loss outcomes of IIH patients and weight loss methods used by patients who achieve clinical remission (CR) in a standard clinical setting. METHODS: The medical records of IIH patients were retrospectively reviewed. Measures evaluated included: reported symptoms, visual acuity, retinal nerve fiber layer analysis, automated visual fields, optic disc appearance, and cessation of medications. Patients were divided into different outcome groups and weight changes were compared. Patients who achieved CR were contacted to assess weight loss methods used. RESULTS: Of the 39 patients included in the analysis, 28 patients (71.8%) achieved CR with concomitant weight loss, 6 patients (15.4%) improved clinically with concomitant weight loss but did not achieve CR. Among the patients with CR, 10 patients (35.7%) were successfully weaned off their medications completely, whereas another 10 patients (35.7%) are in the process of this. Median weight loss from baseline to lowest weight for this group was 10.5 kg (11.5%) achieved using self-directed methods. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that a large proportion of IIH patients were able to achieve CR or improvement with self-directed weight loss regimens, reinforcing the evidence and the practicality of weight loss in the management of IIH in the clinical setting.

eFOCUS 2: A randomised crossover trial of smartphone fundoscopy and direct ophthalmoscopy aiming to improve optic disc interpretation by medical students with e-learning support.

BACKGROUND: Ophthalmoscopy and its interpretation are complex. We aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of smartphone fundoscopy with traditional direct ophthalmoscopy for optic disc interpretation, with e-learning support. METHODS: We conducted a randomised, crossover study of 102 medical students. Students were offered e-learning for optic disc interpretation. A fundoscopy objective structured clinical examination was conducted after an introductory lecture and 10-min practical training session on smartphone fundoscopy and traditional ophthalmoscopy. Participants examined patients and simulator slides with a randomised crossover between smartphone [D-eye (Padova, Italy) or iExaminer (Welch Allyn, Macquarie Park, Australia)] and traditional ophthalmoscopy (Welch Allyn). Optic discs were graded independently by three masked ophthalmologists. The primary outcome was the ability to interpret an optic disc as normal or abnormal. Secondary outcomes included other optic disc aspects; student preferences; and e-learning performance. RESULTS: Students' agreement with the gold standard for an abnormal or normal disc was significantly greater using a smartphone (74.4%) than with direct ophthalmoscopy (68.1%, p = 0.032). More students preferred smartphone (74%) over direct ophthalmoscopy (26%, p < 0.001). E-learning led to an improvement in optic disc interpretation scores (mean improvement = 4.5%, 95% CI = 3.7-5.2, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Medical students are more accurate at recognising an abnormal optic disc using smartphone fundoscopy than traditional direct ophthalmoscopy, and have a strong preference for smartphone fundoscopy. E-learning may improve the interpretation of optic disc abnormalities. Smartphone fundoscopy may mitigate some technical challenges of fundoscopy and reinvigorate use of this valuable clinical examination.