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D I Kaufman

Publications and source records attributed to D I Kaufman.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Optic neuritis: a prospective study.

We studied 20 patients with acute optic neuritis prospectively for 12 months. Visual fields, color vision, and VEPs to 15' checks were initially abnormal in all patients. Visual acuity was abnormal in 90% and contrast sensitivity in 95% of patients. We devised a graded visual impairment scale (GVIS) to include all visual functions tested. Complete recovery of visual function occurred in 65% of cases. Recovery in the majority of patients was rapid and complete within the first 2 months. In some patients, improvement continued over 6 months. The initial classification on the GVIS was significantly correlated with the final outcome. Patients initially classified as having moderate visual impairment recovered completely or improved to near normal vision. Sixty percent of patients initially classified as total or severe blindness had permanent visual impairment. VEP latency remained prolonged in 19 patients, even when their vision had returned to normal, and is a reliable indicator of resolved optic neuritis.

Adult↗

The pattern electroretinogram: a long-term study in acute optic neuropathy.

We report a 2-year prospective study of the electroretinographic response to reversal of checkerboard patterns (P-ERG) obtained in 63 eyes with acute optic nerve lesions. The aim of the study was to document the value of P-ERG regarding diagnosis and prognosis of four types of optic neuropathy: optic neuritis, compressive or hereditary optic atrophy, and traumatic optic neuropathy. We documented visual loss by neuro-ophthalmologic examination and recorded pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (P-VEP). The initial P-ERG was normal to large- and medium-sized checks in 89% and the P-VEP abnormal in 94% of eyes with acute optic nerve lesions. Forty-six eyes were followed for up to 2 years. Two groups emerged. Group A (n = 17) gradually and permanently had significant reduction of the P-ERG to three separate check sizes. All 17 had no improvement in acuity better than 20/100, retained centrocecal scotomas, and developed optic atrophy. In group B (n = 29) the P-ERG remained within normal limits to one or more check sizes. Twenty-two of these eyes recovered acuity to 20/25 or better and had resolution of the field defect. The data showed that P-VEP was superior to P-ERG in diagnosis of acute and chronic optic nerve lesions. However, significant reduction of the b-wave of the P-ERG to three separate check sizes correlated closely with failure of visual recovery and the eventual development of severe optic atrophy, suggesting a prognostic value for P-ERG in optic neuropathy.

Adolescent↗

Electrophysiology versus psychophysics in the detection of visual loss in pseudotumor cerebri.

This study compared visual evoked potentials (VEP) and contrast sensitivity (CS) as methods of detecting visual loss in 15 women with acute onset of pseudotumor cerebri (PTC). A total of 24 out of 30 eyes (14 of 15 patients) had a visual disturbance. Neuro-ophthalmologic examination demonstrated abnormal Goldmann visual fields in 13 of 30 eyes. CS was abnormal in 18 eyes; VEP was abnormal in five eyes. Nine eyes had visual loss detected by CS only, five by perimetry only, and one had the VEP as the sole abnormality. CS was a valuable adjunct to perimetry in PTC whereas VEP was rarely helpful.

Adolescent↗

Improving the reliability of pattern electroretinogram recording.

The pattern electroretinogram (PERG) is a small electrical response of the retina to a reversing checkerboard pattern, usually less than 6 microV in amplitude. Unfortunately, the PERG can be obscured by artifacts such as blinks, eye movements, poor fixation, and amplifier saturation. Amplitude criterion artifact rejection systems found on commercial signal averagers eliminate large amplitude artifacts but are insensitive to small amplitude artifacts associated with amplifier saturation. Such saturation often occurs for several recording sweeps after large amplitude signals such as eye blinks are rejected. The presence of post-saturation artifacts complicates clinical PERG analysis. In this paper we describe procedures to remove these small amplitude artifacts from the PERG. These include computer selection of inputs for averaging and use of tracings with small input numbers to approximate PERG amplitudes. These procedures greatly reduce the variability of PERG amplitudes in the normal population, making PERG amplitude a more reliable clinical measure.

Adolescent↗

The pattern electroretinogram: N95 amplitudes in normal subjects and optic neuritis patients.

Recent work has suggested that the N95 peak of the transient pattern electroretinogram (PERG) may be a more sensitive indicator of the late stages of retinal function prior to optic nerve activation than the P50 peak. In this report, we show that a new measure of N95 amplitude, based on digital filtering methods to identify a non-linear baseline before measurement, greatly reduced the amplitude variation in a population of 50 normal subjects when compared with two other plausible measures. We then used that new measure to follow the time course of N95 amplitudes in 12 optic neuritis patients. It was found that maintenance of a normal N95 amplitude at 6 months after onset of optic neuritis was always associated with excellent clinical recovery as measured by visual fields, acuity, presence or absence of an afferent pupil and optic atrophy, and contrast sensitivity (CS). Loss of N95 amplitude to below laboratory limits of normal was associated with abnormalities in these indicators of visual function. This study supports the idea that the N95 peak represents retinal ganglion cell function.

Adolescent↗

Really painful double vision.

A 67-year-old woman with a history of chronic headache and recent removal of two squamous cell lesions from her forehead presented with left facial pain and diplopia. A diagnosis of Tolosa-Hunt syndrome was made based on clinical presentation and imaging studies. When the patient did not respond to steroids, further studies were done, including biopsy, which revealed perineural spread of squamous cell carcinoma.

Aged↗