OCTA characteristics in non-arteritic central retinal artery occlusion and correlation with visual acuity

AIM:To observe the retinal and choroidal circulations in patients with non-arteritic permanent central retinal artery occlusion(NA-CRAO)via optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA)and analyze their correlation with visual acuity.METHODS:Sixty-two eyes with clinically confirmed acute NA-CRAO were included in the study and divided into:A type(mild n=29),B type(moderate n=27)and C type(severe n=6)based on the degree of visual loss,retinal edema,and arterial blood flow delay in fundus fluorescence angiography(FFA).Contralateral healthy eyes were used as the control group.Best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA),slit lamp microscopy,indirect ophthalmoscopy,fundus color photography,OCTA,and FFA were performed.Spearman’s correlation analysis was used to determine the correlations between retinal and choroidal vessels and visual acuity.RESULTS:There were no statistically significant differences in age,gender,and intraocular pressure among the three types and the control group(P>0.05).Vessel density in deep capillary plexus(VD-DCP)significantly decreased(P<0.05)in all three types of NA-CRAO patients compared to the control group.Vessel density in superficial vascular plexus(VD-SVP)significantly decreased(P<0.05)in type A patients and choriocapillaris flow area significantly decreased(P<0.05)in type B and type C patients compared to the control group;while outer retinal flow areas significantly increased in the type A(P<0.05)and decreased in type C patients(P<0.05).The retinal thickness significantly increased in type C group(P<0.05).The VD-SVP at fovea in the type A was significantly lower than both of type B and C.The VD-SVP at nasal parafovea in type A and B was significantly lower than type C(P<0.05).The logMAR BCVA of type A was significantly better than that of type B and C groups(P<0.05).Spearman’s correlation analysis showed that the logMAR BCVA was positively correlated with VD-SVP at fovea(r=0.679,P=0.031)and nasal parafovea(r=0.826,P=0.013).CONCLUSION:OCTA is valuable for assessing retinal ischemia,and evaluating visual impairment.Deep retinal vasculature is commonly affected in all NA-CRAO types.VDSVPs at fovea and nasal parafovea can serve as reliable markers of visual impairment in NA-CRAO.

Application of indocyanine green in surgery: A review of current evidence and implementation in trauma patients

Background:Modern surgical medicine strives to manage trauma while improving outcomes using functional imaging.Identification of viable tissues is crucial for the surgical management of polytrauma and burn patients presenting with soft tissue and hollow viscus injuries.Bowel anastomosis after traumarelated resection is associated with a high rate of leakage.The ability of the surgeon’s bare eye to determine bowel viability remains limited,and the need for a more standardized objective assessment has not yet been fulfilled.Hence,there is a need for more precise diagnostic tools to enhance surgical evaluation and visualization to aid early diagnosis and timely management to minimize traumaassociated complications.Indocyanine green(ICG)coupled with fluorescence angiography is a potential solution for this problem.ICG is a fluorescent dye that responds to near-infrared irradiation.Methods:We conducted a narrative review to address the utility of ICG in the surgical management of patients with trauma as well as elective surgery.Discussion:ICG has many applications in different medical fields and has recently become an important clinical indicator for surgical guidance.However,there is a paucity of information regarding the use of this technology to treat traumas.Recently,angiography with ICG has been introduced in clinical practice to visualize and quantify organ perfusion under several conditions,leading to fewer cases of anastomotic insufficiency.This has great potential to bridge this gap and enhance the clinical outcomes of surgery and patient safety.However,there is no consensus on the ideal dose,time,and manner of administration nor the indications that ICG provides a genuine advantage through greater safety in trauma surgical settings.Conclusions:There is a scarcity of publications describing the use of ICG in trauma patients as a potentially useful strategy to facilitate intraoperative decisions and to limit the extent of surgical resection.This review will improve our understanding of the utility of intraoperative ICG fluorescence in guiding and assisting trauma surgeons to deal with the intraoperative challenges and thus improve the patients’operative care and safety in the field of trauma surgery.

Efficacy and safety of ranibizumab for wet age-related macular degeneration in Chinese patients

AIM： To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of ranibizumab for wet age-related macular degeneration （wAMD） in Chinese patients and to determine the mean number of injections administered over one year of follow-up. METHODS： This single centre, retrospective observational case series study included data from 121 patients with wAMD （121 eyes） who were diagnosed by indirect ophthalmoscopy, fluorescence fundus angiography （FFA）, indocyanine green angiography, and optical coherence tomography. Ranibizumab was injected into the vitreous cavities once per month for 3mo and as needed afterwards. Changes in visual acuity and central foveal thickness （CFT） during the follow-up period were compared, and the mean number of injections over the year was calculated. Patients with one or more adverse events related to the drugs and injections were recorded for further adverse events analysis.RESULTS： The study population included 70 males and 51 females aged between 50 and 87y （mean： 71.32±9.41y）. The mean number of injections over the first year was 5±1 （range： 3-9）. The mean best-corrected visual acuity by Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study increased from 43.2±19.3 （95%CI： 39.8-46.7） at baseline to 51.7±20.1 （95%CI： 48.1-55.3）, and central foveal thickness （CFT） decreased from 526.5±277.0 μm （95%CI： 476.6-576.4） to 258.2±161.6 μm （95%CI： 229.2-287.3） at 12mo. The differences were statistically significant （P〈0.001）. Visual acuity significantly improved in 34.1% of the patients （38 eyes）, stabilized in 66.1% of the patients （80 eyes）, and significantly decreased in 2.5% of the patients （3 eyes）. CFT at baseline was an independent risk factor of decreased CFT and increased visual acuity. None of the patients had severe adverse events during the follow-up period.CONCLUSION： Ranibizumab can effectively control disease progression and improve visual acuity in patients with wAMD. The disease conditions of most patients stabilized after a one-year treatment with an average of 5 injections.

A case of branch retinal artery obstruction complicated after anterior ischemic optic neuropathy

AIM: To report a case of branch retinal artery obstruction (BRAO) complicated after anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION). METHODS: A 42 year-old woman who complained of visual disturbance was performed ophthalmological examinations such as fundus photography, fluorescent angiography (FAG) and visual field test. RESULTS: At first visit, disc swelling was noted and arterial circulation was intact, however, 1 week after onset, the inferior branch retinal artery began to shrink and the flame hemorrhage intensified. Sixteen months later, the optic disc evidenced an atrophic change; additionally, a ghost vessel in the inferior branch retinal artery was found. CONCLUSION: We report a case of complications of BRAO arising after AION which caused the mechanical compression on the arterial circulation.

Predictors and outcomes of photodynamic therapy on circumscribed choroidal hemangiomas in Chinese patients

Choroidal hemangiomas （CHs） are relatively rare,benign,vascular,hamartomatous tumors.They are categorized to circumscribed choroidal hemangiomas （CCHs） or diffuse choroidal hemangiomas （DCHs） clinically and histologically.Although circumscribed CHs （CCHs） are often asymptomatic,they can affect visual acuity （VA） if they are situated beneath the fovea,where they can cause accumulation of secondary subretinal fluid and/or cystic retinal degeneration.Due to its minimal invasiveness and negligible toxicity to the normal retina,photodynamic therapy （PDT） with verteporfin has been applied widely in the treatment of CCH.1 Treatment strategies for CCHs should take into account tumor size,anatomic location,VA,and presence/absence of complications.The present study was conducted to identify potential predictors of successful PDT treatment other than those previously reported.We also present alternative treatment modalities for larger,more complicated CCHs.Keywords：circumscribed choroidalhemangiomas; photodynamic therapy; tumor height; predictors and outcomes;success rate;fluorescence angiography; indocyanine green angiography

Effect of Qiming Granule(芪明颗粒) on Retinal Blood Circulation of Diabetic Retinopathy:A Multicenter Clinical Trial

Objective： To objectively assess the effect of Qiming Granule （芪明颗粒） in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy （DR） by fluorescence fundus angiography （FFA）. Methods： In a multi-center, randomized, parallel controlled clinical trial, patients with DR were randomly assigned to the control group （calcium dobesilate capsule） and the test group （Qiming Granule）. Changes in the retinal blood circulation time were recorded by FFA after 3 months of medication. Results： Significant reduction was observed in the retinal arterio-venous circulation time （AVCT） in both groups （P〈0.01）, the value was 7.635 ± 3.149 s before treatment and 5.165 ±3.382 s after treatment in the treated group, and 7.737±3.413 s and 5.313±3.472 s in the control group respectively. Qiming Granule also reduced the arm-to-retinal circulation time （ARCT, P〈0.05）. The value was 17.867± 3.872 s before treatment and 15.643 ± 4.648 s after treatment in the treated group, and 17.217 ± 3.833 s and 16.312± 3.613 s in the control group （P〉0.05） respectively. The ARCT in the tested group was reduced, with a statistically significant difference post-medication （P〈0.01）. Conclusion： As a Chinese medicine complex prescription, Qiming Granule may alleviate retinal hypoxia and ischemia by increasing retinal blood flow and improving the blood circulation.