Uveitic macular edema (UME) is a major reason of permanent visual loss. Early treatment is essential for achieving a good visual outcome, but some patients are resistant or nonresponsive to the treatment, which is called refractory UME (RUME). Intravitreous injection of glucocorticoids can improve the intraocular drug concentration and avoid systemic side effects. Immunosuppressive agents have a certain role in improving RUME by inhibiting immune cells through a variety of ways. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and new biological agents also can improve RUME outcome, but their effectiveness and safety need to be confirmed by large scale randomized clinical trials. Vitrectomy can improve RUME outcome but whether peeling of internal limiting membrane is necessary or not is still controversial. Peeling the inner limiting membrane can eliminate the potential incentive for macular edema and remove the barrier. But the process of stripping may injury the retinal neurepithelium. To eliminate edema and protect the visual function, we should analysis the causes of RUME and treat it individually.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical outcomes of idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane (IMEM) by 23G vitrectomy with or without internal limiting membrane peeling. MethodsA total of 40 eyes in 40 patients diagnosed as IMEM underwent 23G pars plana three-port vitrectomy (23G PPV). The macular ERM alone was removed in 20 eyes (non-ILM peeling group). Both ERM and ILM peeling were performed in another 20 eyes (ILM peeling group). All patients underwent removal of ERM with assistance of triamcinolone acetonide. For patients who underwent ILM peeling, indocyanine green dye was used to stain the ILM. ILM was peeled off up to the marginal of macular vessels arch. The patients in ILM peeling group and non-ILM peeling group had postsurgical follow-up for (15.85±3.79) months and (16.45±3.72) months respectively. There were no significant differences in gender, age, OD/OS, preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), preoperative central macular thickness (CMT), preoperative total macular volume (TMV) and follow-up time between the two groups (P > 0.05). Intraoperative or postoperative complication was recorded during the follow-up period. At the final visit, the differences in BCVA, CMT and TMV between the two groups were analyzed, so did the correlations between BCVA and CMT or TMV in each group at the same time. ResultsThere was no recurrence of an ERM or severe complications, such as retinal detachment and endophthalmitis in either group. The mean BCVA of ILM peeling group and non-ILM peeling group was 0.53±0.27 and 0.54±0.26 respectively at the final visit. Postoperative BCVA improved significantly in both groups with significant difference (t=5.035, 4.964; P < 0.05). The was no difference of postoperative BCVA between two groups (t=0.176, P > 0.05). The mean CMT was (343.55±48.74) μm and (311.70±42.48) μm, and the mean TMV was (7.78±0.40) mm3 and (7.88±0.43) mm3. CMT (t=9.508, 8.549) and TMV (t=11.098、15.372) revealed a significant decrease in both groups with significant difference (P < 0.05).The postoperative CMT in the ILM peeling group was significantly higher than that in the non-ILM peeling group (t=-2.203, P < 0.05). No difference was found between the two groups in terms of TMV (t=0.755, P > 0.05). Furthermore, no correlation was observed between postoperative BCVA and CMT (r=0.244, 0.266; P > 0.05) or TMV (r=-0.096, 0.157; P > 0.05). Conclusions23G PPV combined with or without ILM peeling is an efficient and safe treatment for IMEM. ILM peeling appears to have similar effect on the long-term visual outcomes comparing with non-ILM peeling, combined with much thicker postoperative CMT.
ObjectiveTo observe the expression of interleukin (IL)-17, IL-4 and interferon γ (IFN-γ) in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU). MethodsC57BL/6 mice were immunized with interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein 1-20 to induce EAU. The inflammatory reaction before and on 7, 14, 21, 28 days after immunization were observed. The level of IL-17, IL-4 and IFN-γ in the serum were measured by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA). mRNA and protein expression of spleen and retina were analysed using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot at the same time, respectively. ResultsThe most serious inflammatory reaction occurred at the 14th day after immunization. The highest level of IFN-γ in serum, highest mRNA and protein expression of IFN-γ in spleen and retina of mice occurred at day 7 after being immunized. The highest level of IL-17, IL-4 in serum, highest mRNA and protein expression of IL-17, IL-4 in spleen and retina of mice occurred at day 14 after being immunized. The increase degree of IL-17 was more than IFN-γ and IL-4. At 7, 14 and 21 days after immunization, compared with the pre-immunization, the level of IL-17, IL-4, IFN-γ in serum of mice were significantly increased (F=1 817.346, 268.600, 164.621; P < 0.05). There was no difference in the levels of IL-17, IL-4, IFN-γin serum of mice between pre-and 28 days after immunization (P > 0.05). At 7, 14 and 21 days after immunization, compared with the pre-immunization, the protein expression of IL-17, IL-4, IFN-γ in spleen (F=312.67, 114.250, 216.220) and retina (F=271.504, 85.370, 80.722) of mice were significantly increased (P < 0.05). There was no difference in protein expression of IL-17, IL-4, IFN-γ in spleen and retina of mice between pre-and 28 days after immunization (P > 0.05). ConclusionsThere were IL-17, IL-4 and IFN-γ expression in EAU. IL-17, IL-4 and IFN-γ play a key role in the occurrence and development of the EAU.
Objective To observe the fundus imaging characteristics of different stages of syphilitic posterior uveitis. Methods Retrospective cases series. Forty-six eyes of 32 patients with syphilitic posterior uveitis were included. There were 14 patients (16 eyes) and 18 patients (30 eyes) were assigned to acute stage group (with the course ＜2 months) and chronic stage group (with the course ≥2 months) respectively. All eyes received the examination of indirect ophthalmoscopy, color fundus photography, fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). All patients received regular anti-syphilitic treatment. Color fundus photography and OCT were followed after treatment. The fundus imaging characteristics of different stages of syphilitic posterior uveitis were observed. Results Indirect ophthalmoscopy and fundus color photography showed that in the acute stage group, there were 3/16 eyes with optic disc edema; 4/16 eyes with a yellowish, placoid lesion involving the macular. There were only some pigment alterations on the fundus after treatment. In the chronic stage group, there were 4/30 eyes with optic disc hyperemia, 3/30 eyes with cystoid macular edema. After treatment, the optic hyperemia vanished gradually, but there were still some pigment alterations. The FFA images of two groups showed various vascular leakages. In the chronic stage group, patients also showed hyper-fluorescence with cystoid macular edema. The patients with course 2 – 3 years have more transmitted fluorescence on FFA. OCT showed that all eyes in the acute stage group had lost the ellipsoid zone, with irregular granular reflectivity of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer, 6 eyes with subretinal fluid in the macular. After treatment, the ellipsoid zone and RPE layer structure recovered gradually. In the chronic stage group, all eyes showed widespread loss of the ellipsoid zone, pigment migration and (or) cystoid macular edema. After treatment, the ellipsoid zone showed partial recovery. The outer ellipsoid zone was still discontinuous in patients with long duration. Conclusions Syphilitic posterior uveitis patients generally had normal fundus, but some cases had a yellowish, placoid lesion involving the macular. FFA showed various vascular leakages, and the chronic stage group showed more transmitted fluorescence. The major OCT change was loss of the ellipsoid zone or with subretinal fluid. After treatment, fundus showed no abnormal manifestations except some pigment alterations; the ellipsoid zone structure recovered gradually in acute stage eyes, partially recovered in chronic stage eyes.