Pediatric glaucoma terminology

Beyond Intraocular Pressure: Visual Functioning and Quality of Life in Primary Congenital Glaucoma and Secondary Childhood Glaucoma

PURPOSE

To compare the visual functioning (VF) and vision-related QoL (VRQoL) of children 8-18 years old treated for primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) and secondary childhood glaucoma.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

METHODS

A total of 309 children 8-18 years old treated for PCG and secondary childhood glaucoma between 2000 and 2010 by a single pediatric glaucoma specialist were prospectively enrolled at LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India. Children completed 2 questionnaires, the LV Prasad Functional Vision Questionnaire-II (LVP-FVQ-II), and the Impact of Vision Impairment-Children (IVI-C) questionnaire. Rasch-calibrated scores from both these questionnaires were used to compare the VF and VFQoL between the 2 groups.

RESULTS

Mean ages of the children were 12.2 and 12.6 years in the PCG (53%, median age at diagnosis = 5 months) and secondary glaucoma groups (47%, median age at diagnosis = 3 years), respectively. A majority (80%) of children had bilateral glaucoma and underwent filtering surgery (83%). Mean better eye logMAR visual acuity (VA) was comparable between PCG and secondary childhood glaucoma groups (0.49 vs 0.52, respectively; P = 0.59). Children with PCG reported significantly better VF and VRQoL than secondary childhood glaucoma patients. Unadjusted and adjusted childhood glaucoma group comparisons revealed secondary childhood glaucoma to be associated with worse VF and VRQoL compared to PCG (difference for VF, -0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.34 to 0.31; P = 0.002; 0.39; 95% CI, 0.16-0.62; P = 0.001 for VRQoL).

CONCLUSIONS

Results show that children with treated PCG experience significantly better VF and VRQoL than those with secondary childhood glaucoma, despite comparable VA and IOP.

Molecular characterization of Axenfeld-Rieger spectrum and other anterior segment dysgeneses in a sample of Mexican patients

BACKGROUND

Anterior segment dysgenesis (ASD) and Axenfeld-Rieger spectrum (ARS) are mainly due to PITX2 and FOXC1 defects, but it is difficult in some patients to differentiate among PITX2-, FOXC1-, PAX6- and CYP1B1-related disorders. Here, we set out to characterize the pathogenic variants (PV) in PITX2, FOXC1, CYP1B1 and PAX6 in nine unrelated Mexican ARS/ASD patients and in their available affected/unaffected relatives.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Automated Sanger sequencing of PITX2, FOXC1, PAX6 and CYP1B1 was performed; those patients without a PV were subsequently analyzed by Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) for PITX2, FOXC1 and PAX6. Missense variants were evaluated with the MutPred, Provean, PMUT, SIFT, PolyPhen-2, CUPSAT and HOPE programs.

RESULTS

We identified three novel PV in PITX2 (NM_153427.2:c.217G>A, c.233T>C and c.279del) and two in FOXC1 [NM_001453.2:c.274C>T (novel) and c.454T>A] in five ARS patients. The previously reported FOXC1 c.367C>T or p.(Gln123*) variant was identified in a patient with ASD. The ocular phenotype related to FOXC1 included aniridia, corneal opacity and early onset glaucoma, while an asymmetric ocular phenotype and aniridia were associated with PITX2. No gene rearrangements were documented by MLPA analysis, nor were any PV identified in PAX6 or CYP1B1.

CONCLUSIONS

Heterozygous PV in the PITX2 and FOXC1 genes accounted for 66% (6/9) of the ARS/ASD cases. The absence of PAX6 or CYP1B1 abnormalities could reflect our small sample size, although their analysis could be justified in ARS/ASD patients that present with congenital glaucoma or aniridia.

The Economic Burden of Childhood Glaucoma

PURPOSE

To date, there are limited data on the economic burden of childhood glaucoma, a relatively rare but visually debilitating disease. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the immediate costs of illness associated with childhood glaucoma during the first 4 years after presentation.

METHODS

Data on age, sex, surgical interventions, visits, examinations under anesthesia, and medications were collected yearly following presentation in patients with childhood glaucoma. Inclusion criteria included diagnosis of primary or secondary childhood glaucoma, age less than 21 years, and follow-up of 4 years. A total of 23 patients (39 eyes) were included. Cost analysis used 2013 hospital-specific charges and US average hourly wage to calculate outcomes of total, direct, and indirect costs (significance level P<0.05).

RESULTS

The annual cost of care of childhood glaucoma averaged $21,441.61 per patient, representing 1100% of annual costs in adult glaucoma and an increase of 800% in annual costs of health care per pediatric patient. The average total 4-year cost of care was $85,074.96 per patient. Surgical interventions and examinations under anesthesia were the greatest contributors to costs, representing 69.0% and 23.2% of total 4-year costs, respectively. The annual costs of care for childhood glaucoma were highest in the first year compared with subsequent years, averaging $46,293.62 per patient (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood glaucoma carries a substantial economic burden with the highest costs occurring in the first year after presentation. The greatest contributors to cost of illness are surgical interventions and examinations and anesthesia.

Indications and outcomes of keratoplasties in children during a 40-year period

PURPOSE

To report the indications and the outcomes of keratoplasties in children over four decades.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of patients aged 16 years or younger who underwent keratoplasty in the Helsinki University Eye Hospital during 1968-2011. Diagnosis, preoperative status, age at the time of surgery, surgical technique, complications and follow-up time were registered. Main outcome measures were visual acuity and graft survival as assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The independent role of risk factors on outcomes was evaluated by Cox multivariate regression analysis.

RESULTS

Forty-eight keratoplasties, 42 penetrating and six lamellar, were performed in 44 eyes of 39 children at the age of 4.5 months to 16 years (median, 12 years). Five patients had bilateral grafts, and five grafts were regrafts. The indication for keratoplasty was injury for 13 grafts, non-traumatic acquired corneal opacities for 11, keratoconus for eight, corneal dystrophy for seven, congenital corneal opacities for six and aniridia for three grafts. The cumulative proportion of clear grafts was 46% at 5 years postoperatively, and the median follow-up time of clear grafts was 5.1 years (range, 0.4-29 years) for 41 penetrating allografts (PKP). Simultaneous intraocular surgery at the time of grafting [hazard ratio (HR) 9.7], corneal vascularization (HR 8.1) and regrafting (HR 5.4) were the main independent risk factors for graft failure in this PKP cohort. The cumulative proportion of clear grafts was 84% at 5 years in the absence of any of these risk factors. PKP for keratoconus and corneal dystrophy yielded clear grafts in 83% of the eyes, and a visual acuity ≥0.3 (Snellen) in 75% of the eyes. Seventeen of the 20 graft failures were due to rejection.

CONCLUSIONS

Favourable graft survival was obtained in primary keratoplasties for non-vascularized corneal opacities performed without any other simultaneous intraocular surgery. Visual outcome was favourable in keratoconus and corneal dystrophies and poor in most eyes with injury.

A Surgical Approach to Pediatric Glaucoma

Glaucoma in children differs from adult-onset disease and typically requires surgical intervention. However, affected children exhibit a spectrum of disease severity and prospective data guiding the choice of operation are lacking. This article reviews common procedures and a surgical approach to pediatric glaucoma.