1/6. Spontaneous regression (autoinfarction) of proliferative sickle retinopathy.Of 45 patients with proliferative sickle retinopathy in stages III, IV, and V, nine patients (eight with hemoglobin sc disease, one with sickle cell thalassemia) showed spontaneous regression (autoinfarction) of retinal sea fans. One mechanism involved in autoinfarction of neovascular tissue is progressive, centripetal retraction of the anterior vascular arcade of the peripheral retina. In addition, vitreous traction on feeder vessels may result in sluggish blood flow and occlusion of these vessels, or may tear the sea fan completely away from its feeder vessels. In view of the many incidences of vitreous hemorrhages that occur in patients with proliferative retinopathy, however, we recommend treatment of neovascularization rather than prolonged observation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = neovascularization (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/6. Macular infarction after transpupillary thermotherapy for subfoveal choroidal neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration.PURPOSE: To report the complication of macular infarction after transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT) for the treatment of subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). DESIGN: Interventional case reports. methods: Among 107 consecutive patients with subfoveal CNV due to AMD, a 73-year-old woman with recurrent subfoveal classic choroidal neovascularization and a 76-year-old man with subfoveal occult choroidal neovascularization with adjacent areas of geographic retinal pigment epithelium atrophy noted a severe decrease in visual acuity and photopsias within hours of undergoing TTT. RESULTS: Both patients had marked whitening of the macula clinically and closure of the perifoveal capillaries on fluorescein angiography. Immediately after treatment their visual acuity decreased from 20/200 to 6/200 and from 20/400 to 2/200, respectively. Several months later, all exudation had resolved and their visual acuity had stabilized at 20/100 and 20/200, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Macular infarction is a rare complication that occurred in two of 107 patients undergoing TTT for subfoveal CNV due to AMD. The presence of geographic retinal pigment epithelium atrophy or a previous laser treatment scar in the macular region may predispose patients to this complication.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 7keywords = neovascularization (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/6. The blinding mechanisms of incontinentia pigmenti.Five case histories illustrate the disabling visual diseases caused by retinal and cerebral infarction in incontinentia pigmenti. Cortical blindness was definitely present in one baby, who had bilateral absence of light perception, and was probably present in a second infant also. retinal detachment occurred in three eyes of three patients, one of whom had spontaneous reattachment. In a second patient, a partial tractional retinal detachment progressed within 4 months during infancy to a total, inoperable, retrolental, white fibrovascular mass mimicking stage 5 retinopathy of prematurity. Phthisis bulbi resulted. In a third patient, a localized tractional retinal detachment originated at the nonperfused macula and extended over a 7-month period to the ora serrata. Preretinal neovascularization waxed and waned in these and other patients. Abnormalities of the macula were pronounced but were sometimes difficult to detect. Their severity and relative frequency have not been previously described in detail. Abnormalities included blunting or absence of the foveal pit and absence of the normal foveal avascular zone. One patient at 12 days of age had an infarcted macula with a cherry-red spot. Similar episodes may have occurred in other children and would be sufficient to explain the appearance of macular abnormalities and otherwise unexplainable poor visual acuity in older individuals. Well-focused macular angiography appears to be highly useful in explaining visual disability due to abnormal foveal anatomy and function. optic atrophy occurred in several eyes. Its pathogenesis may be multifactorial. Further research is necessary to elucidate the mechanisms of vascular closure in the retina as well as the pathogenesis of destructive encephalopathy in this exceptionally severe disease. Valid therapeutic possibilities may then become more obvious than they are at present. It is possible that the retina and brain undergo similar disease processes in incontinentia pigmenti.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = neovascularization (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/6. Luxury perfusion following anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.We present five patients who developed luxury perfusion following anterior ischemic optic neuropathy in whom fluorescein angiography was misinterpreted as "capillary hemangioma" or neovascularization of the disc. In each case, the segment of disc hyperemia corresponded to a spared region of visual field. Luxury perfusion represents a reparative autoregulatory reaction to ischemia.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = neovascularization (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/6. Antiphospholipid antibodies and retinal vascular disease.BACKGROUND: Antiphospholipid antibody retinopathy is a rare and poorly defined clinical entity in which the proper diagnosis has important ocular and systemic implications. The clinical course of five patients with antiphospholipid antibody retinopathy is described and the role of such antibodies in idiopathic retinal venous occlusive disease is investigated. methods: Five case reports are presented highlighting the presentation, course, therapy, associations and outcomes of patients with antiphospholipid antibody retinopathy. In addition, twenty additional patients presenting with idiopathic retinal venous occlusive disease were tested for the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies. RESULTS: All five patients with antiphospholipid antibody retinopathy had diffuse retinal vascular occlusion. All five patients presented with associated rheumatologic disease, including three with lupus or lupus-like disease. antibodies to antiphospholipid were not detected in any of the twenty patients with idiopathic retinal venous occlusive disease. Prompt panretinal photocoagulation together with varying regimens of corticosteroids, immunosuppressives, or warfarin was partially successful in stabilizing the ocular and systemic disease. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of antiphospholipid antibody retinopathy should be suspected in patients with diffuse retinal vaso-occlusion, particularly when characterized by involvement of both arteries and veins, neovascularization at presentation, and symptoms of symptoms of systemic rheumatologic disease. Antiphospholipid antibodies do not appear to play an important role in idiopathic retinal vein occlusions.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = neovascularization (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/6. Histopathologic features of neovascularization in sickle cell retinopathy.PURPOSE: To examine the histopathologic and morphometric features of neovascular lesions in human proliferative sickle cell retinopathy. methods: Postmortem ocular tissue was obtained from three subjects (aged 20, 28, and 40 years) with SS hemoglobinopathy and prepared for adenosine diphosphatase flat-embedding. Morphometric analysis was performed before serial sectioning. RESULTS: Numerous active and autoinfarcted lesions were found that represented virtually all stages in the life cycle of preretinal neovascularization. These formations ranged from single small loops extending from arteries and veins along the retinal surface to the typical complex, elevated sea fan formations. Sea fans developed at hairpin loops and at arteriovenous crossings. There was an average of 5.6 connections between sea fans and retinal vessels; of these, 45% were arteriolar, 52.5% were venular, and 2.6% were at the capillary level. Six of eight sea fans were located at arteriovenous crossings. Autoinfarction appeared to occur initially within the sea fan capillaries. The average height of sea fans was 123 microns above the retinal surface. CONCLUSIONS: Preretinal neovascularization in sickle cell retinopathy can arise from both the arterial and venous sides of the retinal vasculature and can assume a variety of morphologic configurations. Multiple feeding arterioles and draining venules are common, and autoinfarction appears to occur initially at the preretinal capillary level rather than at feeding arterioles. Arteriovenous crossings may be a preferential site for sea fan development.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 6keywords = neovascularization (Clic here for more details about this article) |