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[Measuring saccades in endocrine orbitopathy].

Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is evaluated mainly by orthoptic examination and morphometric parameters such as ultrasound, CT scanning or magnetic resonance imaging. Inflammatory changes of the extraocular muscles lead to an impairment of eye movement. Recent evidence suggests that saccades are altered by changes to the extraocular muscles. Although of potential interest, this phenomenon has so far received little attention. To determine the role of saccades as a potential diagnostic tool for assessing the function of the affected muscles, we have begun to analyze saccadic parameters in patients with TAO. Preliminary results of this study are reported in the present paper. For registration of both horizontal and vertical eye movements, we used the "Ober-2-Apparatus," which uses the infrared technique. Horizontal and vertical saccades with an amplitude of 10 degrees were analyzed in 20 healthy persons and 30 patients suffering from TAO. Patients showed changes in the quality of saccades, such as the appearance of glissades and additional correctional saccades as well as quantitative changes, such as an increase in the maximum speed and latency. Our current data suggest the presence of saccadic alterations in TAO. Our ongoing studies are designed to evaluate whether characteristic changes can be assigned to certain stages of the disease and whether assessment of saccadic changes in a promising tool for early detection and functional follow-up in patients with TAO.

Adult↗

[Model for cost-benefit relations of amblyopia screening].

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In Germany, 750,000 children are born per year who should be screened for developmental visual defects in the age range 24-48 months. However, the established pediatric screening program is not sufficient to prevent amblyopia. The purpose of this study was to examine the cost-effectiveness of alternatives for amblyopia and microtropia screening. METHODS: Three options were compared: (1) an orthoptic screening carried out in the field, for instance in kindergartens, (2) an examiner-independent objective apparatus-based screening, and (3) a complete ophthalmological and strabismological examination carried out in a practice. The costs of screening, follow-up examinations and of the treatment were modelled for prevalences of 1% (microtropia) and 5% (amblyopia). The benefit due to treatment was calculated as the result of an avoided whole-person impairment of 3% and 1%. The income related, increased tax and health care payments were used to cover the costs. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In options (1) and (2) there were favorable cost-effective ratios. The practice-based option 3 was economically less promising. The higher the prevalence was, the higher the resulting cost-effectiveness.

Amblyopia↗

[Strabismus and diplopia as complications after cataract surgery with IOL implantation].

UNLABELLED: In our Department of Orthoptics we have seen an increasing number of patients suffering from diplopia after cataract surgery with IOL implantation. Between 1993 and 1997 the total number of patients with this problem was 24 (2.7 % of all patients, mean age 71 years, age range 38-88). We addressed the question of whether there is a common pattern of motility dysfunction. METHODS: After evaluation of the clinical history and the basic ophthalmological findings the following parameters were examined: binocular function (Bagolini test), squint angles (Maddox cross), ocular motility. RESULTS: The 24 patients could be divided up into three groups. Group 1 consisted of 9 patients (mean age 82 years, range 64-88) who complained about diplopia because of strabismus incomitans with vertical deviation and restricted motility on the first day after surgery. In 8 of the 9 patients strabismus surgery was done. Group II consisted of 10 patients (mean age 66 years, range 38-77) who noticed diplopia and strabismus within 7 days after surgery. We found various kinds of heterotropia. Seven of these patients were operated on and two had a prism correction. Group III consisted of 5 patients (mean age 67 years, range 61-78). Their already known strabismus paralyticus or concomitans deteriorated, leading to diplopia in some cases. All patients in this group were operated on. DISCUSSION: For group I we believe that retro-, para- or peribulbar anesthesia caused the motility dysfunction. In groups II and III it is unlikely that local anesthesia had a causative role. The prolonged disruption of binocular vision and the abrupt change in the sensory situation after the cataract operation with lens implantation may be the leading causes for strabismus or deterioration of a preexisting strabism, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These patients need a subtil meticulous diagnostic work-up and follow-up because of the possibility of early surgical therapy, which has a good prognosis. Evaluation of binocular vision and eye movements prior to cataract surgery appears to be helpful for later strabismic surgery.

Adult↗

[Threshold value retinopathy of prematurity. Visual outcome of 2-year-old children after cryocoagulation].

BACKGROUND: The results of the Cryo-ROP group showed that cryotherapy significantly reduces the rate of adverse morphological and functional outcome of eyes with threshold retinopathy of prematurity. Structural status and visual acuity of 48 eyes which consecutively underwent cryocoagulation in our hospital between 1990 and 1994 were examined at 2 years corrected gestational age. METHOD: Visual acuity and fundus morphology were examined by Teller acuity-cards test, retinoscopy, orthoptic status and fundus examination. A favourable grating acuity was defined as > or = 2.2 cy/degree, a favourable morphology as no pathological or mild findings at the level of the posterior pole or stage 4 a. RESULTS: Fifty-six % of cases reached a quantifiable grating acuity between 0.32 and 13.0 cy/degree, 42% reached a favourable functional outcome, and 69% of the eyes had a morphologically favourable outcome. Fifty-five % of the measurable eyes were myopic, and 29% had a high myopia > or = -6.0 D. 47% showed a heterotropia. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show a discrepancy between morphological and functional outcome. Especially for zone 1 eyes, cryocoagulation of the avascular retina does not seem to allow a favourable morphological and functional outcome.

Child, Preschool↗

[Maculopathy in Curschmann-Steinert myotonic dystrophy].

BACKGROUND: Maculopathy occurring in young patients is a challenge in differential diagnosis. Besides hereditary macular dystrophies and acquired macular degenerations, rare systemic disorders should be considered. CASE REPORT: A 36 year old female patient complained about a gradually decrease of visual acuity in both eyes and an increasing exotropia of her right eye. Visual acuity was 0.7, the orthoptical status revealed an intermittent exophoria with exclusion of the right eye. Slit lamp examination showed punctate and cristalline lens opacities. In fundus examination and fluorescein angiography clumpy pigment epithelium hypertrophies and atrophies with a reticular character could be observed. Color vision and perimetry were normal; dark visual acuity was reduced. Because of remarkable deformations of jaw and teeth, a high hairline and an uncertain step we arranged a neurological consultation. Clinical observation together with myotonic activities in electromyography and diffuse lesions in the cerebral medular corpus shown in MRT led to the diagnosis of myotonic dystrophy (Curschmann Steinert syndrome). CONCLUSION: Besides hereditary macular dystrophies and acquired macular degenerations the differential diagnosis of maculopathies in young patients also includes systemic disorders. Myotonic dystrophy (Curschmann Steinert syndrome) should be taken into account as a rare cause of a juvenile maculopathy.

Adult↗

Interindividual variability of learning in stereoacuity.

BACKGROUND: In the evaluation of therapies aiming at binocular vision, for instance by the use of prisms or orthoptic training in the case of heterophoria, stereoacuity is often the primary outcome measure. To assess therapeutic effects it is necessary to separate them from perceptual learning with repeated testing. Learning stereoacuity has been investigated only in a few studies with up to six subjects. METHODS: To ascertain the interindividual variability of learning in stereoacuity we examined 24 subjects, 12 with and 12 without experience in psychophysical experiments. In a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm, subjects reported whether a vertical bar appeared in front of or behind a reference frame. Estimates of stereo threshold were obtained using an adaptive staircase procedure ("best PEST"). RESULTS: We found a highly significant learning effect ( P<0.0001) with a marked interindividual variability. In some subjects the stereoacuity improved by a factor of >30 and in others it did not improve at all. The median of the learning factor was 1.7. There was no significant difference between novices and experienced subjects. CONCLUSION: The great interindividual variability of learning in stereoacuity has important implications for therapeutic tests that use stereoacuity as an outcome measure: To distinguish therapeutic effects from improvements due to repeated testing, each subject's individual learning behaviour has to be taken into account, for example by starting out with an adequate training phase. The number of test repetitions required to reach a fairly constant level appears to be similar among individuals: in our paradigm most of the learning occurred within the first six blocks with 100 target presentations each.

Adult↗

Deficits of spatial localization in children with strabismic amblyopia.

BACKGROUND: Besides loss of visual acuity and binocularity, spatial localization deficits (comprising both increased spatial uncertainty and spatial distortions) are an important feature of strabismic amblyopia. Although they have been extensively investigated in adult amblyopes, there are still many open questions concerning their substrate and relationship to clinical parameters. Our aim was to develop a procedure for assessing vertical alignment, which enabled us to find out whether children with strabismic amblyopia had similar spatial localization deficits, and their relation to the children's clinical condition. METHODS: Vertical alignment was assessed in children by comparing the visual direction in space of three loci along the vertical meridian, separated by 5 deg of visual angle. We tested alignment in the amblyopic and dominant eyes of 32 strabismic and in both eyes of 35 control children from 4.5 to 10 years, together with a careful orthoptic examination. RESULTS: In the amblyopic eyes, increased uncertainty and systematic distortions outside the normal range occurred. Large angles of deviation and pathological fixation patterns were necessary, but not sufficient conditions for gross spatial deficits to occur. The fellow dominant eyes showed spatial localization similar to normal eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Children with strabismic amblyopia exhibited localization deficits and relationship to clinical data similar to those in adult amblyopes. These data are important for further investigations about the substrate, plasticity and the clinical relevance of perceptual distortions.

Amblyopia↗

Risk of strabismus and ambylopia in children with hydrocephalus.

OBJECTIVES: The present study was undertaken to determine the risk of strabismus and ambylopia in children who underwent operation for hydrocephalus and to compare our results with those in previous studies. METHODS: Full orthoptic and ophthalmological examinations, including cycloplegic refraction, were performed in all subjects. RESULTS: Ten of 25 patients (40%) were found to have manifest squint. Four of these had esotropia and six had exotropia. No paretic squint or alphabetic pattern strabismus was determined. Refraction measurements revealed amblyogenic refractive errors (significant refractive errors that cause amblyopia) in five of the 25 (20%) patients in this study. Strabismus and the risk of amblyopia were found to be significantly higher in patients who experienced shunt revision than those who had not (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Amblyopia, strabismus, and other acquired defects in the visual system related to hydrocephalus should be closely monitored and treated when indicated. Regular ophthalmic supervision will provide and help to maintain the best possible standard of vision in children with hydrocephalus.

Adolescent↗

Vitrectomy for pre-macular hemorrhagic cyst in children and young adults.

BACKGROUND: A pre-macular accumulation of blood is termed a hemorrhagic macular cyst and may be found both in eyes with Terson's syndrome and in shaken baby syndrome. In this study, we report on our experience and results of vitreoretinal surgery for treatment of pre-macular hemorrhagic cyst in eyes of patients suffering from Terson's syndrome and shaken baby syndrome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between November 1995 and May 2003 seven eyes of six children underwent vitrectomy for pre-macular hemorrhagic cyst. Patients' age ranged from 5 months to 17 years. Indication for vitreoretinal surgery was pre-macular hemorrhagic cyst in eyes with Terson's syndrome (n=5) and shaken baby syndrome (n=2). During vitrectomy, rhexis of internal limiting membrane was performed. Four children received intensive orthoptic treatment postoperatively. RESULTS: All eyes in our series showed a submembranous localization of pre-macular hemorrhagic cyst. The results of electron microscopic examination showed that the excised anterior walls contain internal limiting membrane. In all eyes improvement of the anatomic situation and of visual acuity was achieved. Duration of follow-up ranged from 6 months to 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Vitrectomy for hemorrhagic macular cyst in children is a safe and effective alternative to observation, offering visual rehabilitation, especially if amblyopia has developed or if both eyes are affected. If a hemorrhagic macular cyst is encountered, its complete removal is recommended to prevent development of proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

Adolescent↗

Stereo acuity in patients with unilateral macular hole and after unilateral macular hole surgery.

PURPOSE: To investigate stereo acuity levels in patients with unilateral idiopathic macular hole and after surgical intervention. METHODS: In 31 consecutive patients with a unilateral macular hole and 46 consecutive patients who underwent successful unilateral macular hole surgery, complete ocular examinations, including orthoptic examinations and microperimetry using the scanning laser ophthalmoscope, were performed. RESULTS: A significantly positive correlation was found between VA and stereo acuity (r = 0.87, P < 0.01). After successful surgery, stereo acuity also correlated with the presence or absence of absolute and/or relative scotoma, and was best in eyes without scotomata. Patients with unilateral idiopathic macular hole, suppression, and symptom duration of 24 months or longer had no stereoscopic vision. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that in patients with unilateral idiopathic macular hole and after surgery, stereo acuity correlated with VA. Patients with unilateral macular hole should be operated upon as early as possible, resulting in better VA and better stereo acuity.

Aged↗

Pars plana lentectomy for treatment of congenital cataract.

BACKGROUND: Congenital cataract surgery can be performed using a pars plicata/plana or a limbal approach, if placement of an intraocular lens at the time of cataract removal is not a consideration. Because of the high incidence of secondary cataract formation in children the operation should be combined with capsulotomy and anterior vitrectomy. METHODS: The series consisted of 30 eyes from 20 consecutive children who suffered from congenital cataract and underwent cataract surgery between May 1995 and June 2000. The inclusion criterion was congenital cataract affecting the visual axis. We performed the operations as lens aspiration with anterior and posterior capsulotomy and anterior vitrectomy via the pars plana or plicata. We used contact lenses to rehabilitate vision. All patients received intensive orthoptic and pleoptic treatment. RESULTS: This surgical technique provided in all eyes a clear visual axis. During follow-up of 3 months to 4.5 years, secondary cataract developed in five eyes. Retinal detachment, glaucoma and endophthalmitis did not occur. One patient developed contact lens intolerance and a secondary intraocular lens was placed in the ciliary sulcus. DISCUSSION: Lentectomy via a pars plana or pars plicata approach is a suitable and safe method for treating cataract in children. Our chosen method of lentectomy is an alternative to early implantation of an intraocular lens. It is possible to perform uncomplicated secondary implantation of an intraocular lens in the ciliary sulcus.

Aphakia, Postcataract↗

Pattern VEP is a useful technique in monitoring the effectiveness of occlusion therapy in amblyopic eyes under occlusion therapy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness and clinical significance of pattern visual evoked potential (P-VEP) parameters on visual acuity in amblyopic patients under occlusion therapy. METHODS: A total of 34 consecutive children with anisometropic amblyopia were included in this study. All patients underwent a full initial ophthalmologic and orthoptic evaluation. P-VEP test was performed in all cases and binocular vision was tested and recorded with Worth's four-dot test and Bagolini striated glasses at each visit. Part-time occlusion therapy was performed by using adhesive patches. RESULTS: The mean (+/- SEM) cycloplegic refractive error was + 5.6 +/- 0.6 diopters (D) in the amblyopic eyes and + 1.8 +/- 0.2 D in the normal eye. The mean levels of best-corrected visual acuity were statistically differed between each measurement for occlusion therapy (for each, p < 0.05). The ratio of the patients with binocular vision increased after 6 months occlusion therapy and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). In addition, P100 amplitude improved at each visit and the difference was significant when compared with baseline values (for each, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: P100 amplitude of the P-VEP test parallels the improvement in subjective visual acuity in amblyopic eyes under occlusion therapy. Therefore, this test may be useful in monitoring the visual acuity in the preverbal or non-verbal patched patients.

Amblyopia↗

Illumination correction on MR images.

OBJECTIVE: An important artifact corrupting Magnetic Resonance Images is the rf inhomogeneity, also called bias artifact. This anomaly produces an abnormal illumination fluctuation on the image, due to variations of the device magnetic field. This artifact is particularly strong on images acquired with a device specialized on upper and lower limbs due to their coil configuration. A method based on homomorphic filtering aimed to suppress this artifact was proposed by Guillemaud. This filter has two faults: it doesn't provide an indication about the cutoff frequency (cf) and introduces another illumination artifact on the edges of the foreground. This work is an improvement to this method because it resolves both problems. METHODS: The experimental setup has been performed on knee images obtained by 5 volunteers and acquired through an Artoscan device using the following parameters: Spin Echo sequence, Repetition time: 980 ms, Echo time: 26 ms, Slice thickness: 4 mm, Flip Angle: 90 degrees . RESULTS: Two specialists in orthoptics evaluated the results of the proposed approach by examining the restored images and validating the results produced by the filter. A quantitative evaluation has been performed on a manually segmented restored image using the coefficient of variation (cv) measure. CONCLUSIONS: Following the specialists qualitative evaluation, the illuminance of upper and lower peripheral zones results to be enhanced; a loose of contrast can be noted only in few cases. The Bias image exhibits an artifact focused usually on the central part of the foreground. The quantitative evaluation based on cv shows that this index is lowered for all the segmented regions with respect to the original value. The method is automatic and doesn't require any hypothesis on the tissues. A manual version of the algorithm can be also implemented allowing the physician to choose the preferred cf. In this case the value selected by the method can be considered as a default value.

Algorithms↗

Epidemiology of enterococcal bacteremia in a referral center for hepatobiliary diseases.

BACKGROUND: Enterococcus faecium (EFM) and Enterococcus faecalis (EFL) account for most infections which predominantly originate in the abdomen or the urinary tract. The objectives of this study were to compare the risk factors associated with EFM and EFL bacteremia Patients and Method: Retrospective study of 64 EFL and 27 EFM bacteremia cases that occurred between January 1993 and December 1996 in a referral center for hepatobiliary diseases. RESULTS: Univariate predictors of EFM bacteremia, compared to EFL, were an orthoptic liver transplantation (OLT), use of steroids, admission in the hepatology service, a central vascular catheter and an abdominal source. Forward regression models identified OLT as the only independent risk factor for EFM bacteremia (odds ratio, OR = 4.320; p = 0.0064), and septic shock as the only predictor of a fatal enterococcal bacteremia (OR = 13.152; p = 0.0003). Molecular typing of EFM isolates identified four small nosocomial clusters (of two to seven patients each) of EFM bacteremia, involving primarily patients admitted to the intensive care unit or on the hepatology ward. CONCLUSION: Strategies are needed to prevent enterococcal bacteremia in patients with severe liver disease, especially those undergoing OLT.

Adult↗

The surgical treatment of intermittent exotropia.

A group of 38 cases of intermittent exotropia was examined. All operations were performed by the same surgeon. The follow-up period averaged 21 months. These patients were evaluated and treated, when necessary, by preoperative orthoptics. The records were analyzed for such characteristics as onset, duration, family history, visual acuity and refraction. These patients were classified into the following types of exotropia: primary (divergence excess), convergence insufficiency, and combined. The basic physiology of this condition is discussed. The progressive nature of this entity is demonstrated. The choice of operation depended upon the presence or absence of a significant deviation at near. In the postoperative evaluation, the absence of a tropia was the criteria for adequate surgical correction. Only 26 patients (68%) were adequately corrected.

Exotropia↗

Resection of both medial rectus muscles in organic convergence insufficiency.

Six patients with a prolonged history of severe muscular asthenopia caused by persistent convergence insufficiency underwent resection of both medial rectus muscles. A temporary consecutive esotrapia occurred in each instance and was controlled with prisms. Five weeks after surgery the consecutive esotropia had disappeared in all but one patient who still required prismatic correction for distance fixation. All patients experienced relief from their symptoms. Whereas orthoptic training is useful in most cases of convergence insufficiency a resection of both medial rectus muscles should be considered in persistent cases especially with an associated weakness of accommodation.

Accommodation, Ocular↗

[Aesthetic blepharoplasty].

Suzanne Noël, a pioneer of aesthetic surgery in Europe, first published her results with cosmetic blepharoplasty in 1926, in a book entitled: "The social role of aesthetic surgery". Paul Tessier further expanded the range and surgical possibilities of blepharoplasty by incorporating lateral canthopexies and underlying the importance of the craniofacial skeleton. Other authors in the 20th century brought their own technical refinements to this operation, such as the transconjunctival route, and various fat preserving modifications as well as lipostructure. The aim of this paper was to review the surgical approach to blepharoplasty, according to both historical and currently used protocols (including data gathered by questionnaires sent to eight French and foreign plastic surgical teams). A new perspective is proposed regarding the analysis of different morphological and ageing subtypes. The indication for individual surgical techniques stems from an accurate analysis of each patient according to anatomical categories. Pre-operative records before any orbito-palpebral surgery should include a full orthoptic and ophthalmological assessment, as well as high-quality medical photographs. An increasing emphasis has developed recently upon the use of autologous fat harvested locally (septofat advancement), or from a distant site (lipostructure).

Aging↗

Ocular motility disturbances after episcleral plaque brachytherapy for uveal melanoma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate contributions of various factors in the development of strabismus after iodine-125 brachytherapy for uveal melanoma. METHODS: Twenty consecutive patients who underwent episcleral plaque brachytherapy for uveal melanoma underwent a full orthoptic examination before and after the surgery. Iodine-125 seeds at 5-mCi strengths were used with a mean total dose of 10.400 cGy toward the tumor apex. RESULTS: Average follow-up time was 25.4 months (range, 14 to 40). At 12 months all tumors showed regression, 9 patients had visual acuity of 20/200 or better, and 4 patients had ambulatory vision. After tumor treatment, 8 patients were orthophoric, 9 patients developed exotropia, 1 patient became hypertropic, 2 patients developed exotropia and hypertropia. Of 2 patients who developed significant diplopia, 1 received 10 U botulinum-toxin A injection (Botox, Allergan, Irvine, CA) for exotropia, and the other was managed with superior rectus advancement and superior oblique tenectomy for surgery-induced iatrogenic Brown's syndrome and slipped superior rectus muscle. CONCLUSION: Extensive mechanical injury, possible ionizing radiation of the plaques, and low visual acuity may cause strabismus after episcleral plaque brachytherapy. Diplopia and cosmesis could be improved with Botox injection or strabismus surgery.

Adult↗