The characteristics of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) include sudden decline of visual acuity, sectorshaped visual field defect connected with the physiological blind spot or hemivisual field defect, and optic disc edema.Early angiographic abnormalities of optic disc and peripapillary choroidal circulation are important cues for the diagnosis. Angiography combined with visual field test can make the diagnosis more accurate. The pathological mechanism and process of NAION and ischemic cardiovascular/cerebrovascular disease are essentially the same. There are several critical issues in this field we need focus on,including strengthening the cooperation with relevant professional disciplines; improving the ocular ischemia through drugs, intervention and other means; preventing more serious cardiovascular events and intervening in a number of highrisk populations to reduce the incidence of AION.
Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of Nd:YAG laser embolysis combined urokinase thrombolysis therapy for branch retinal artery occlusion. Methods Thirty-four eyes of 34 patients with branch or hemiretinal artery occlusion (RAO) were studied. All patients were confirmed according to the diagnosis criteria of RAO at acute stage, disease course ranged from 12 hours to nine days. Local retinal edema and the yellowish white embolus within the retinal arteriole could be observed by color photograph and fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) examination. Nd:YAG laser therapy was given to all eyes, which focused on the embolus by an ocular contact lens. The laser pulse was delivered directly and gradually by 0.3-0.9 mJ according to embolus condition. Fundus photographs and FFA were taken before and immediately after the laser treatment. On the next day after laser treatment, all patients received urokinase thrombolysis therapy through intravenous drip of 100 000200 000IU per time by two times for five consecutive days. Follow-up time ranged from two to three days after drug treatment and all patients accepted FFA, visual acuity and visual field examination. According to early angiography images of fluorescence filling, the recovery will be graded into full recovery, great recovery, partial recovery and invalid. Results After laser treatment, most eyes showed immediate recovery of blood flow in the occluded arteriole in fundus examination. Complete, great, and partial recovery were found in 13 eye (38.2%), 11 eyes (32.4%), and five eyes (14.7%) respectively by FFA examination; five eyes (14.7%) did not response to the treatment. After urokinase thrombolysis therapy, complete, great, and partial recovery were found in 16 eye (47.1%), 15 eyes (44.1%), and three eyes (8.8%). The difference of visual acuity was statistically significant before and after the combined treatment (chi;2=30.7,P＜0.05). In most cases, visual field defect showed lighter than before. No systemic complications were observed during the combined treatment. Conclusion Nd:YAG laser embolysis combined urokinase thrombolysis therapy for branch retinal artery occlusion is effective and relatively safe.
Objective To investage the relationship among the visual loss, the disease course, and retinal circulation time in patients with central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO)． Method The data about the central vision, disease course, and results of fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) of 99 patients (99 eyes) with CRAO were statistically analyzed. Results Between 2 days and 21 days after the occurrence of CRAO, the disease course didnrsquo;t relate to the central visual loss (Pgt;0.05). In the retinal circulation, a correlation was found between the time of fluorescein perfusion and the central visual loss (Plt;0.05) but not between the time of arm-retina circulation and the central visual loss (Pgt;0.05). Conclusion In the duration of retinal circulation, the time of fluorescein perfusion in retinal artery relates to the central visual loss; the longer the duration is, the worse the vision is. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2007, 23: 177-179)
ObjectiveTo observe the cilioretinal artery and its relationship with central visual loss in central retinal artery occlusion(CRAO) patients. MethodsA total of 140 CRAO patients (140 eyes) were enrolled in this study. The patients included 83 males and 57 females. The age was ranged from 42 to 75 years old, with an average of (55.70±22.20) years. All the patients were affected unilaterally, including 79 right eyes and 61 left eyes. The disease duration was from 1 to 10 days, with a mean of (4.7±3.9) hours. Central vision and fluorescence fundus angiography were measured for all patients. The central visual loss was divided into 3 types: mild (≥0.1), moderate (finger counting to 0.08) and severe (no light perception to hand movement). The number, length and location of cilioretinal artery were observed. The correlation between cilioretinal artery and central visual loss was analyzed. ResultsThere were 41 eyes (29.3%) with cilioretinal artery, which including 13 eyes (31.7%) with ≥3 cilioretinal arteries, 23 eyes (56.1%) with 2 cilioretinal arteries, 5 eyes (12.2%) with 1 cilioretinal arteries. The cilioretinal artery was within 1 disk diameter (DD) in length and not reached the macular area in 37 eyes (90.2%), was more than 1DD in length and reached the macular foveal area in 4 eyes (9.8%). The cilioretinal artery located in the temporal side of optic disk in 29 eyes (70.7%), and in other quadrant in 12 eyes (29.3%). The distribution of central visual loss degree as follow: mild in 15 eyes (10.7%), moderate in 50 eyes (35.7%), severe in 75 eyes (53.6%). The difference of central visual loss in the eyes with or without cilioretinal arteries was not significant (χ2=0.16, P>0.05). ConclusionsCilioretinal artery exists in 29.3% CRAO eyes. There was no close correlation between cilioretinal artery and central visual loss.
Objective To observe the digital subtraction angiography (DSA) characteristics of ophthalmic artery and its main branches in ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD). Methods The internal carotid arteries, external carotid arteries and ophthalmic arteries of 32 ICVD patients were examined for DSA. The characteristics of ophthalmic artery origin, trail and main branches were observed. Results Among 64 carotid arteries of 32 patients, there was one carotid artery with internal occlusion, there was no severe stenosis in the other 63 carotid arteries. The 63 ophthalmic arteries originated all from supraclinoidal and ophthalmic segments of internal carotid arteries. 58 ophthalmic arteries were single branch from the internal carotid artery. 5 ophthalmic arteries had 2 branches, one come from the internal carotid artery, the other come from the middle meningeal artery (external carotid artery branch ) in 4 cases or from the anterior cerebral artery (carotid artery branch) in 1 case. The main branches of ophthalmic artery included central retinal artery, posterior ciliary artery, lacrimal gland artery, ocular muscular artery; anterior ethmoid artery, posterior ethmoid artery, supraorbital artery, dorsal nasal artery, supratrochlear artery and eyelid artery. The beginning point of each branches were variable. Conclusions Ophthalmic arteries of ICVD patients primary arise from the internal carotid artery. It most often appears as single branch and occasionally as double branches. The beginning points of major branches of ophthalmic artery are variable.
Objective To observe the relationship between shallow optic cup，small disc and occurrence in patients with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).Methods Ninetysix patients（96 diseased eyes）who accorded with the diagnosis criteria for NAION，with duration ge; three months and optic disc edema in paracmasis were selected. The fellow eyes of 96 NAION patients and 80 normal eyes were selected in our study. The horizontal and vertical disc and cup diameters，optic cup depth, and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness were measured by quot;crossquot; and quot;ringquot; scan of optical coherence tomography (OCT，Humphrey 2000，German Carl Zeiss Company) inspection system. The cup depth were classified four grades by cup shape according to OCT images：GradeⅠ，bottom of optic cup above the anterior plane of peripapillary neuroepithelial layer（PNL）；GradeⅡ，bottom of optic cup above the plane of PNL；Grade Ⅲ，bottom of optic cup between the plane of PNL and choroidal pigment epithelium；Grade Ⅳ，bottom of optic cup under the plane of choroidal pigment epithelium connection. The grades of optic cup and value in three groups were statistically analyzed. The follow up ranged from six months to three years.Results The disc diameter in horizontal scanning of diseased eyes，fellow eyes and normal eyes were (1.29plusmn;0.19), (1.32plusmn;0.17), (1.40plusmn;0.15) mm，and diameters in vertical scanning were (1.52plusmn;0.14), (1.49plusmn;0.17), (1.60plusmn;0.22) mm, respectively. Compared the diseased eyes and fellow eyes with normal eyes，the difference were statistically significant in horizontal scanning (t=4.291,3.315; P＜0.05) and in vertical scanning (t=2.812, 3.654; P＜0.05). Compared the diseased eyes with fellow eyes，the difference of average diameter were not statistically significant in horizontal and vertical scanning (t=1.153,1.335; P＞0.05). Of the diseased eyes，GradeⅠoptic cup in 36 eyes（37.50），Grade Ⅱ-Ⅲoptic cup in 52 eyes（54.17%），Grade Ⅳoptic cup in eight eyes（8.33%），and GradeⅠ-Ⅲ optic cup in 88 eyes（91.67%）were found. Of the fellow eyes，GradeⅠoptic cup in 18 eyes（18.75%），Grade Ⅱ-Ⅲoptic cup in 69 eyes（71.88%），Grade Ⅳoptic cup in nine eyes（9.34%），and GradeⅠ-Ⅲ optic cup in 87 eyes（9066%）were found. Compared the average RNFL thickness of diseased eyes with the fellow eyes and normal eyes，the differences were statistically significant in temporal, upper, nasal, lower quadrant(t=12.862，10.147，15.046，8.180，12.859，9.562，12.174，8.632；P＜0.001). Compared the average RNFL thickness of the fellow eyes and normal eyes，the differences were not statistically significant in all quadrants（t=1.040，1.576，1.062，1.192；P＞0.05）. During the followup，eight eyes with recurrence which optic cup were GradeⅠand Ⅱin diseased eyes；44 eyes（45.8%）occurred NAION. Correlation analysis showed that there was negative correlation between incidence of fellow eye and optic cup depth(t=-0.757, P=0.000). Conclusion Optic cup and disk in NAION patients are smaller than that in the normal，the anatomical characteristics of shallow cup and small disc was one of the NAION pathogenesis.
Objective To evaluate the changes of optic nerve head (ONH) and the thickness of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in patients with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods Circular and cross-sectional OCT scans of an area with a diameter of 3.38 mm surrounding the optic disc were performed for 108 eyes (96 cases) with NAION, including 96 eyes (96 cases) in acute edema phase and 41 eyes (37 cases) in resolving phase. Follow-up period was 2 weeks to 24 months, with an average of 6 months. Results The RNFL was thickener with shallow cup or small cups in the acute edema phase. Comparing with the RNFL in the ischemic sector, the thickness of peripapillary RNFL in the nonischemic sector was greater in 59 eyes (59 cases, 61%), lesser in 26 eyes (26 cases, 27%) and no difference in 11 eyes (11 cases, 12%). During the treatment NAION eyes were dynamically observed by OCT. While ischemic edema of the optic disc resolved in about two weeks, non-ischemic edema subsided in 3-6 weeks. After 1 month in the resolving phase, the thickness of peripapillary RNFL in the ischemic sector of 35 cases (95%) was thinner than the thickness of non-ischemic sector and fellow normal controls. After 3 month in the resolving phase, 26 cases (70%) showed thinner RNFL of whole optic disc. Conclusion The thickness of RNFL in NAION patients in acute edema phase is thicker than that in the fellow normal eyes, and is also thicker in ischemic sector than that in non-ischemic sector. In resolving phase, the thickness of RNFL is thinner in NAION eyes than that in the fellow normal eyes.
ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effect of super-selective ophthalmic artery or selective carotid artery thrombolytic therapy for central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO). MethodsTwelve CRAO patients (12 eyes) were enrolled in this study. The patients included 7 males and 5 females. The age was ranged from 19 to 68 years old, with an average of (50.0±3.5) years. The disease duration was from 8 to 72 hours, with a mean of 18 hours. All the patients were received the treatment of super-selective ophthalmic artery or selective carotid artery thrombolysis with urokinase (total 0.20-0.4 million U) and injection of papaverine 30 mg. Five patients received the treatment of super-selective ophthalmic artery thrombolytic therapy, 7 patients received the treatment of selective carotid artery thrombolytic therapy (4 patients because of the financial issues, 3 patients because of thin ophthalmic artery). According to the visual acuity of post-treatment and pre-treatment, the therapeutic effects on vision were defined as effective markedly (improving three lines or more), effective (improving two lines) and no effect (no change or a decline). According to the arm-retinal circulation time (A-Rct) and filling time of retinal artery and its branches (FT) on fluorescence fundus angiography (FFA), the therapeutic effects on retinal circulation were defined as effective markedly (A-Rct 15 s, FT 2 s), effective (A-Rct was improved but in the range of 16-20 s, FT was in 3-8 s) and no effect (A-Rct was improved but 21 s, FT 9 s). ResultsThe vision changes showed effective markedly in 5 eyes (41.7%), effective in 5 eyes (41.7%), no effect in 2 eyes (16.6%). The total therapeutic efficiency on vision was 83.4%. The retinal circulation was improved in all eyes after treatment, including effective markedly in 8 eyes (67.0%), effective in 4 eyes (33.0%). The total therapeutic efficiency on retinal circulation was 100.0%. No complications occurred in these 12 patients during the treatment or follow-up, such as puncture site hematoma, intracranial hemorrhage, cerebral embolism, eye movement abnormalities, retinal and vitreous hemorrhage. ConclusionSuper-selective ophthalmic artery and selective carotid artery thrombolytic therapy were effective in the treatment of CRAO.