PURPOSE: To assess the diagnostic efficacy of macular and peripapillary retinal thickness measurements for the staging of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and the prediction of disease progression. METHODS: In this prospective study, 149 diabetic patients (149 eyes) and 50 non-diabetic control subjects were included. Baseline optical coherence tomography was employed to measure retinal thickness in the macula (horizontal, vertical, and central) and the peripapillary zone (superior, inferior, nasal, and concentric to the optic disc). Seven baseline parameters were correlated with the DR stages identified by fluorescein angiography. Baseline retinal thickness was compared between groups of patients requiring panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) within 6 months (PRP group) and patients not requiring PRP (No-PRP group). RESULTS: Macular and peripapillary retinal thicknesses in diabetic subjects were significantly greater than that in normal controls (p<0.05). All retinal thickness parameters, and particularly peripapillary circular scans, tended to increase with increasing DR severity (p<0.05). The baseline thicknesses of the peripapillary circular scans were greater in the PRP group than in the no-PRP group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Peripapillary retinal thickness may prove to be a useful criterion for DR severity and may also serve as an indicator of disease progression.
Aged ; Diabetic Retinopathy/*diagnosis/surgery ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Humans ; Light Coagulation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Optic Disk ; Prospective Studies ; Retina/*pathology/surgery ; *Severity of Illness Index ; *Tomography, Optical Coherence

To find out the optimal temperature of infusion fluid during vitrectomy, five rabbit eyes were infused with body temperature (37C) Balanced Salt Solution Plus (BSS Plus, Alcon Laboratories) and the other five eyes with room temperature (22C) BSS Plus. We recorded the ERGs before operation and 2 days, 7 days and 28 days after operation and each recording was plotted on paper with automatically measured amplitude. The a-wave amplitude, b-wave amplitude and b/a ratio showed no significant difference between 22C and 37C groups before operation and 2 days, 7 days and 28 days after operation. The a-wave amplitudes were decreased, b/a ratios were increased and b-wave amplitudes was not changed after operation in both 22C and 37C group. We suggest that there is no difference in the effects of infusion fluid to retinal function whether we use room temperature or body temperature infusion fluid.
Body Temperature ; Retina* ; Retinaldehyde ; Vitrectomy*

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Heart Atria*

To describe the clinical and optical coherence tomography (OCT) features of a macular hole (MH) or its precursor lesion in patients treated with systemic antiestrogen agents. We reviewed the medical history of the patient, ophthalmic examination, and both fundus and OCT findings. Three female patients receiving antiestrogen therapy sought treatment for visual disturbance. All of the patients showed foveal cystic changes with outer retinal defect upon OCT. Visual improvement was achieved through surgery for the treatment of MH in two patients. Antiestrogen therapy may result in MH or its precursor lesion, in addition to perifoveal refractile deposits. OCT examination would be helpful for early detection in such cases.
Adult ; Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy/surgery ; Estrogen Antagonists/*adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Retinal Perforations/*chemically induced/diagnosis/surgery ; Tamoxifen/*adverse effects ; Vitrectomy

PURPOSE: To determine the relation between the pathogenesis of idiopathic macular hole and perifoveal vitreous detachment using OCT scan. METHODS: On 28 eyes with idiopathic macular hole stage 1,2,3 which was graded according to using the classification described by Gass and on 123 eyes from the normal contrast group, OCT scan were performed to obtain axial views of the vitreoretinal interface in the posterior pole. The incidence of perifoveal vitreous detachment was assessed. RESULTS: 18 of the 28 eyes (64.2%) from the macular hole group and 15 of the 123 eyes (12.1%) from the normal contrast group had perifoveal vitreous detachment on OCT scan. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference on the incidence of perifoveal vitreous detachment according to stage of macular hole. CONCLUSIONS: These results led to the conclusion that there is a significant relation between the pathogenesis of macular hole and the papillofoveal traction.
Classification ; Incidence ; Retinal Perforations* ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Traction ; Vitreous Detachment*

Ureteritis cystica is one of the cystic diseases formed in the mucosa or submucosa of the renal pelvic, ureter and bladder by chronic inflammation or irritation. A rare case of ureteritis cystica confirmed by ureteroscopy is presented with review of the literatures.
Inflammation ; Mucous Membrane ; Ureter* ; Ureteroscopy ; Urinary Bladder

Behcet's disease is a systemic vasculitis of an unknown etiology involving the arteries and veins of all sizes. There are reports showing that a pulmonary artery aneurysm or thromboembolism and superior vena cava thrombosis are present in 5-10% of patients with Behcet's disease and that lung parenchymal lesions are mainly airway consolidations resulting from hemorrhage or infarction. We encountered a patient with increasing pulmonary cavitary changes and localized aspergilloma. The patient was a 43-year-old man diagnosed with Behcet's disease with a history of recurrent oro-genital ulceration and uveitis, and who was administered methotrexate, colchicines, prednisolone. During the follow up he developed progressive dyspnea upon exertion and finger clubbing. Therefore further evaluations were performed. Chest computed tomography showed more advanced consolidations and cavitations than the previous film with the previously known aspergilloma still observable. An open lung biopsy was carried out to determine the presence of malignant changes, which revealed nonspecific vasculitis. Azathioprine was added resultion in an improvement of symptoms.
Adult ; Aneurysm ; Arteries ; Azathioprine ; Biopsy ; Dyspnea ; Fingers ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Infarction ; Lung* ; Methotrexate ; Prednisolone ; Pulmonary Artery ; Superior Vena Cava Syndrome ; Systemic Vasculitis ; Thorax ; Thromboembolism ; Ulcer ; Uveitis ; Vasculitis ; Veins

This retrospective observational case series on eyes from three patients was done to elucidate the developmental mechanism of spontaneous reattachment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (SRRRD). The study eyes of each patients showed evidence of retinal break and diffuse retinal pigmentary change. Ultrasound biomicroscopic examination revealed vitreous fibers attached to the area around the retinal break. Posterior vitreous attachment was confirmed in each eye. A thin fibrovascular membrane incompletely sealing the retinal break was noted in one case. We suggest that the vitreous attachment around the retinal break and the sealing of the break with adjacent vitreous fibers seem to be involved in the developmental mechanism of SRRRD.
Adult ; Atrophy ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Remission, Spontaneous ; Retina/*abnormalities/pathology/*physiopathology ; Retinal Detachment/*etiology/pathology/*physiopathology ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium/abnormalities/pathology/physiopathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Vitreous Body/abnormalities/pathology/physiopathology ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: To evaluate the short-term effect and safety of a triple therapy on diabetic macular edema (DME) with vitreomacular traction. METHODS: Twenty four eyes from 24 subjects, diagnosed with DME with vitreomacular traction, were subjected to vitrectomy. Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injection and macular laser photocoagulation were conducted sequentially at one and 14 days after vitrectomy. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) were recorded before surgery and at three and six months after triple therapy. RESULTS: The mean (+/-standard deviation [SD]) logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution BCVAs before, three, and six months after the triple therapy were 0.77+/-0.38, 0.48+/-0.27, and 0.47+/-0.36, respectively. The mean (+/-SD) CMTs before, three, and six months after the triple therapy were 407.9+/-127.1 micrometer, 272.4+/-104.6 micrometer, and 263.5+/-131.2 micrometer, respectively. The changes in BCVA at three and six months from treatment were statistically significant. Macular thickness decreased significantly at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Triple therapy is a good therapeutic option for diabetic macular edema with vitreomacular traction to improve visual acuity and macular thickness.
Eye ; Light Coagulation ; Macular Edema ; Traction ; Triamcinolone Acetonide ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy

The role of lung mast cells in exercise-induced asthma (EIA) is controversial. To investigate whether the skin mast cell releasability is increased after exercise in EIA, 49 young atopic men with or without asthma took part in a free-running test for 6 min and were given skin prick tests using morphine, a mast cell secretagogue, before and after the exercise. The mean diameters of the wheal induced by morphine in patients with EIA were not significantly different from those in patients without EIA before exercise, although the baseline lung function was significantly lower and the airway hyperresponsiveness, the peripheral blood eosinophil count, and the size of the wheal in response to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were significantly higher in patients with EIA. However, the differences of the morphine-induced wheal diameter between patients with EIA and those without EIA became significant at 120 min after exercise (p<0.05), while the responses to histamine were not significantly different. These results suggest that exercise increases the releasability of skin mast cells in EIA patients whose asthma/allergy are relatively severe.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Analgesics, Opioid/diagnostic use ; Asthma/*immunology/physiopathology ; *Exercise ; Histamine/diagnostic use ; Humans ; Male ; Mast Cells/drug effects/*immunology ; Morphine/diagnostic use ; Skin/cytology/*immunology ; Skin Tests