No abstract available.
Polyps*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical results of short duration photodynamic therapy (PDT) using verteporfin in patients with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). METHODS: We retrospectively examined 15 eyes after PDT for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy. PDT for 83 seconds was evaluated for 8 eyes, and PDT for 60 seconds was evaluated for 7 eyes. Improvement in vision and changes in central macular thickness were evaluated with an optical coherence tomogram (OCT), and improvement in leaking was evaluated with a fluorescein angiogram (FA). Recurrence was also studied. RESULTS: Visual acuity improved from 0.39 to 0.57 (p=0.04), and the mean central macular thickness decreased from 426.29 micrometer to 184.71 micrometer (p<0.01) in 7 eyes treated with PDT for 60 seconds. There was no significant change in visual acuity between the two groups (p=0.77) or in central macular thickness (p=0.52). Central macular exudation resolved completely in all eyes. After PDT, there was no recurrence during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Short duration PDT with verteporfin appears to be a beneficial treatment option for patients with chronic CSC.
Central Serous Chorioretinopathy ; Eye ; Fluorescein ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Photochemotherapy ; Porphyrins ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Triazenes ; Vision, Ocular ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: To examine the clinical effects of intravitreal bevacizumab injections for patients with macular edema secondary to branched retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). METHODS: Nineteen patients (19 eyes) diagnosed with BRVO within the three month study window, having visual acuities under 0.5 and significant macular edema within two-disc diameters of the fovea were included in the present study. The author evaluated the patients' responses to bevacizumab (1.25 mg/0.05 mL) treatment using visual acuity and central macular edema measurements. RESULTS: The mean visual acuity improved from 1.06 (+/-0.10 logMAR unit) at baseline to 0.68 (+/-0.09 logMAR unit), 0.279 (+/-0.049) at one month, 0.67 (+/-0.9 logMAR unit) at two months, 0.61 (+/-0.09 logMAR unit) at three months and 0.54 (+/-0.10 logMAR unit) at six months. The mean central macular thickness decreased from 552.9 micrometer (+/-41.0) at baseline to 290.0 micrometer (+/-36.7) at one month, 290.0 micrometer (+/-36.7) at three months and 281.3 micrometer (+/-30.1) at six months. No adverse side effects were observed following injections. CONCLUSIONS: The observed macular edema and visual acuity improvements, as well as lack of serious adverse side effects after intravitreal bevacizumab injection, demonstrated that intravitreal bevacizumab injection may be useful for treating patients with macular edema secondary to BRVO.
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; Humans ; Macular Edema ; Retinal Vein ; Retinal Vein Occlusion ; Retinaldehyde ; Visual Acuity ; Bevacizumab

BACKGROUND: In the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, measurement of CK-MB is widely used as an enzyme test, but it needs special instruments, lacks specificity in the presence of concomitant skeletal muscle injuries, and has narrow diagnostic time window. Cardiac specific troponin T-a new marker for the diagnosis of myocardial injury-is now available. Besides the quantitative assay, rapid qualitative asay is also possible with the development of rapid assay Kit. We studied about the efficacy of the Troponin T rapid assay Kit in early doagnosis of actue myocardial infarction in the emergency room. METHODS: Total Ck, Ck-MB, LDH and serum troponin T activities were determined when the patients arrived at the emergency room and at the same time Troponin T rapid assay kit test was done. Final diagnosis was made through the serial measurement of CK, CK-MB and LDH. Diagnostic efficacy of each rest was evaluated. RESULTS: Overall diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of Troponin T rapid assay kit were 0.97 and 0.91. When evaluated only with the initial results, Troponin T rapid assay kit showed sensitivity 0.87, specificity 0.97, serum troponin T 0.75, 0.92, and Ck-Mb 0.81,0.95. In one patient who was finally diagnosed as a septic shock, Ck-MB was elevated but serum troponin T was not and Troponin T rapid assay kit test showed negative result. CONCLUSION: Troponin T rapid assay kit test seems to show nearly the same sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction compared to CK-MB. This test can be done simply and easily in a short time. Thus, with the use of this test, morbidity, mortality and economic loss due to misdiagnosis and delay of diagnosis of myocardial infarction might be reduced.
Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Errors ; Early Diagnosis* ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Mortality ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Shock, Septic ; Troponin T* ; Troponin*

A short nose is one that extends less than one third of the vertical height of the face or whose distance from nasion to tip-defining point is short. Lengthening short noses has been regarded as one of the most challenging and at times vexing tasks in secondary nasal surgery. For correction of short nose, nasal tip supporting tissues from alar cartilages are released and nasal tip is positioned and fixed again. There are five important nasal tip supporting tissues, fibrous connection between upper lateral cartilage and lower lateral cartilage, hinge region(fibrous connection between lateral border of lateral crus and pyriform aperture), interdormal attachment to anterior septal angle (fibrous tissue between anterior septal angle and middle crus), fibrous connection between septum and foot plate of medial crus and dermocartilaginous ligament. This study is to find out which one of the five nasal tip supporting tissues is the most important in short nose correction except dermocartilaginous ligament which has to be released during rhinoplasty. We dissected ten noses from ten fresh cadavers. Five were male and five were female with an average age of sixty three for all ten. We measured the distance between anterior septal angle and tip-defining point in every step of soft tissue dissection releasing the alar cartilage and mucosa, that are often released in short nose corrections and caudally pulling them to the direction of tip-defining point. First, distances were measured in resting and in pulling of alar cartilage. Further, changed distance were measured after releasing nasal tip supporting tissues beginning from the dissection of soft tissues between lateral crus and upper lateral cartilage to that of mucoperichondrium underneath upper lateral cartilage and septal mucoperichondrium. In each process, we found the average and standard variation, confirmed effects of those values to the lengthening of short noses. Dissecting upper lateral cartilage and lateral crus of alar cartilage was most effective in short nose correction. We also found it effective to release the hinge area and dissect the mucoperichondrium under upper lateral cartilage in lengthening the short noses.
Cadaver ; Cartilage ; Female ; Foot ; Humans ; Ligaments ; Male ; Mucous Membrane ; Nasal Surgical Procedures ; Nose* ; Rhinoplasty

PURPOSE: To determine the factors influence retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and optic nerve head (ONH) parameters measured by Stratus optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: Topographic RNFL thickness and optic disc parameters of 129 healthy Korean subjects of aged 14 to 87 were measured using the fast retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and fast optic disk algorithms of Stratus OCT. One eye of each subject was randomly selected for statistical analysis. Using multiple linear regression, the effect of optic disc area, age, refractive error, and zone beta on each parameter was analyzed. RESULTS: Large discs had large horizontal integrated rim width (HIRW), cup area, rim area, C/D area ratio, and vertical C/D ratio. The thickness of average, superior, inferior, and nasal quadrant RNFL increased significantly with an increase in optic disc area. Average and superior quadrant RNFL thickness, and HIRW decreased with age. Refractive error showed a correlation with the vertical integrated rim area, horizontal C/D ratio, and temporal quadrant RNFL thickness. Gender and zone beta had no statistically significant influence on ONH and RNFL parameters. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that optic disc size affects most RNFL thickness and ONH parameters. Because of the relationships revealed in this study, optic disc area in addition to age should be considered when the Stratus OCT RNFL thickness and ONH parameters are interpreted.
Linear Models ; Nerve Fibers* ; Optic Disk ; Refractive Errors ; Retinaldehyde* ; Tomography, Optical Coherence*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the correlation between lesional variation and visual outcome and natural course of idiopathic choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in the patient who had been treated with conservative treatment only. METHODS: Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fluorescein and indocyanine angiographic examination (FAG and ICGA) and comparative analyses were performed for twenty eyes diagnosed with subfoveal and juxtafoveal idiopathic CNV and the long-term (mean, 24.7 months) natural course was followed. RESULTS: Juxtafoveal CNV occurred in 12 eyes (60%) and final BCVA in 17 eyes (85%) improved over 1 line or remained unchanged. Minimal or no leakage of final FAG was shown in 12 eyes (60%). In final ICGA, dark rim was found in 16 eyes (80%), hyperfluorescent area in 12 (60%) and focal choroidal venous dilatation in 3 (15%). Juxtafoveal CNV had more favorable visual outcome than subfoveal CNV and the increased dark rim and decreased hyperfluorescent area in ICGA were significantly correlated with favorable visual outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Idiopathic CNV had a favorable visual outcome during long-term follow-up period with conservative treatment only.
Choroid* ; Choroidal Neovascularization* ; Dilatation ; Fluorescein ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: We report a case of intravitreal bevacizumab injection for the treatment of choroidal neovascularization in morning glory syndrome. CASE SUMMARY: A 51-year-old male visited our hospital for a 1.5-year visual disturbance in his right eye. The patient's best-corrected visual acuity was 0.1 in the right eye. After fundus examination, we found characteristic findings of morning glory syndrome with submacular hemorrhage and serous retinal detachment in the right eye. Optical coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography were performed for evaluation. Retinoschisis, subretinal fluid, and choroidal neovascularization were detected, and thus bevacizumab was injected in the right eye. After intravitreal bevacizumab injection, retinoschisis was improved, and subretinal fluid was decreased. However, retinal pigment epithelial detachment was newly detected, and serous retinal detachment persisted. After 2 months, a second bevacizumab injection was performed. After these intravitreal bevacizumab injections at 1 and 2 months, visual acuity was 0.4 and 0.6, respectively. Visual acuity improved to 1.0 after 3 months. Visual acuity was maintained for at least 6 months with no relapse of choroidal neovascularization. CONCLUSIONS: The choroidal neovascularization in morning glory syndrome was effectively treated with intravitreal bevacizumab injections.
Angiography ; Choroidal Neovascularization* ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Indocyanine Green ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinoschisis ; Subretinal Fluid ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Visual Acuity ; Bevacizumab

PURPOSE: We evaluated whether lipoic acid as antioxidant could inhibit expression of VEGF and STAT3 in experimental diabetic rat retina. METHODS: Diabetes was induced chemically by injection of streptozotocin in 12 rats of 18 Sprague-Dawley rats. After induction of diabetes, lipoic acid was injected into the peritonium in 6 rats. So all rats were divided into 3 groups, normal group (n=6), diabetes mellitus (DM) group (n=6), lipoic acid treated group (n=6). The ocular tissue of the rats were collected on 8 weeks after diabetes induction. Difference of VEGF and STAT3 expression was investigated by immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, western blot. The change of VEGF and STAT3 in lipoic acid treated group were evaluated in these experimental model. RESULTS: The VEGF and STAT3 expression was elevated in diabetic rat retina. The active form STAT3, phosphorylated STAT3 was also elevated. The VEGF and STAT3 expression in lipoic acid treated group was lower than DM group. CONCLUSIONS: The lipoic acid could inhibit the VEGF and STAT3 expression in diabetic rat retina.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Immunohistochemistry ; Models, Theoretical ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Retina* ; Streptozocin ; Thioctic Acid* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

PURPOSE: To assess the clinical outcomes in idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) patients after vitrectomy and ERM removal with or without additional indocyanine green (ICG)-assisted internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling. METHODS: The medical records of 43 patients with an idiopathic ERM that underwent vitrectomy and ERM removal between July 2007 and April 2010 were reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups: triamcinolone-assisted simple ERM peeling only (group A, n = 23) and triamcinolone-assisted ERM peeling followed by ICG staining and peeling of the remaining internal ILM (group B, n = 20). RESULTS: No difference was found between the two groups in terms of visual acuity, macular thickness, P1 amplitude or implicit time on multifocal-electroretinogram (mfERG) at six and 12 months postoperatively. In group B, ICG staining after ERM peeling demonstrated that the ILM had been removed together with the ERM in 12 eyes (60%), and all 12 eyes showed punctate retinal hemorrhages during ERM peeling. There was no recurrence of an ERM in either group. CONCLUSIONS: Additional procedures involving ICG staining and ILM peeling during ERM surgery do not appear to have an additive effect on the clinical outcomes in terms of visual acuity, retinal function based on mfERG, or recurrence rate.
Aged ; Coloring Agents/diagnostic use ; Epiretinal Membrane/*surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Indocyanine Green/*diagnostic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications/*diagnosis ; Retinal Hemorrhage/diagnosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Visual Acuity ; *Vitrectomy