Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy in pachychoroid: combined treatment with photodynamic therapy and aflibercept
Abstract Introduction To evaluate the effects of combined therapy using intravitreal Aflibercept (IVA) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) on polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy related to pachychoroid disease (PPCV).Methods Patients with PPCV were treated with PDT combined with 3 IVA injections on a monthly basis, followed by pro re nata criteria. The 12-month follow-up consisted of multiple revaluations of visual acuity and SSOCT parameters of clinical activity.Results Nineteen eyes were included in the study; mean age was 65.5 years. Visual acuity improved after 12 months (0.35 ± 0.25 to 0.2 ± 0.20 logMAR, p = 0.005). Percentage of eyes with intraretinal and subretinal fluid reduced from baseli…
Choroidal thickness is associated with renal hemodynamics in essential hypertension
The choroid is the most vascularized structure of the eye and plays a central role in the development of the retinal vascular changes that occur in arterial hypertension. Changes of choroidal thickness (ChT) assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology could reflect the vascular complications of hypertension. Also, intrarenal hemodynamic damage, associated with endothelial dysfunction, demonstrated to be a good indicator of systemic morphofunctional arterial impairment. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between ChT and renal hemodynamics in subjects with essential hypertension. Routine laboratory tests, clinical history, and physical examination, including blo…
A Real-World Study of Dexamethasone Implant in Treatment-Naïve Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema: Efficacy and Correlation Between Inflammatory Biomarkers and Treatment Outcome.
Purpose There has been an increasing clinical interest in specific retinal parameters as non-invasive biomarkers of retinal inflammation in diabetic macular edema (DME) that have been shown to have prognostic value, such as hyperreflective retinal fields (HRFs) and subfoveal neuroretinal detachment (SND). Methods We conducted a prospective, non-comparative study of treatment-naive patients with DME to evaluate the efficacy of a Pro Re Nata (PRN) regimen of intravitreal dexamethasone implant 0.7 mg (DexI, Ozurdex™). After administration, patients underwent subsequent injections according to PRN criteria in case of edema relapse, but not earlier than 4 months after the previous treatment. Pat…
Retinal and choroidal vasculature changes associated with chronic kidney disease
Retinal and choroidal microvascular changes can be related to renal impairment in hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The study examines the association between retinochoroidal parameters and renal impairment in hypertensive, non-diabetic patients. This is a cross-sectional study on Caucasian patients with systemic arterial hypertension with different levels of renal function. All subjects were studied by blood chemistry, urine examination, microalbuminuria and blood pressure. Complete eye examination was completed with swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) scans of macular region. Patients were divided in groups: L…
Relationship of choroidal thickness with pulsatile hemodynamics in essential hypertensive patients
Controversy exists about the association of choroidal thickness (CTh) with blood pressure (BP) values. There is some evidence suggesting that central hemodynamics changes are associated with microvascular disease. Our study was aimed to assess the relationships between CTh and clinic and 24-h BP and between CTh and estimated 24-h aortic pulse pressure (aPP), 24-h aortic systolic BP (aSBP), and 24-h aortic augmentation index (aAIx) in a group of hypertensive patients. We enrolled 158 hypertensive subjects (mean age 48 ± 13 years) all of which underwent evaluation of the choroidal district by Swept-Source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and 24-h BP monitoring, in order to measure periph…
Association between early-stage chronic kidney disease and reduced choroidal thickness in essential hypertensive patients.
The introduction in the past few years of advanced optical coherence tomography (OCT) techniques has greatly increased our understanding of the choroid, which is the most important vascular layer of the eye. Our study aimed to assess choroidal thickness by using swept-source OCT (SS-OCT) in essential hypertensive patients (EHs) with and without early-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD). We enrolled 100 EHs, of whom 65 were without kidney damage, and 35 had stage 1-3 CKD. In all of the participants, SS-OCT and a routine biochemical workup were performed. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated by the CKD Epidemiology Collaboration equation (eGFR). CKD was defined in agreement with the …