[Retinal vein occlusion management algorithm. Part 1. Classification, diagnosis, and acute-stage treatment]

[Complex assessment of retinal ischemic damage in patients with retinal vein occlusion]

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effectiveness of treatment and the possibility of restoring visual functions in patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO) depending on the initial degree of macular ischemia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study included 84 patients with RVO. The main inclusion criteria were the presence of macular edema in the setting of RVO with the duration of no more than 3 months and without any previous treatment. All patients underwent intravitreal injections of an angiogenesis inhibitor, followed by laser treatment when necessary. A comparative analysis of the results was carried out in groups that were opposite in terms of the clinical effect - before the start of the therapy, after 1 month, and after 12 months. All patients and the control group members underwent standard ophthalmological examination as well as electroretinography, fluorescence angiography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and OCT angiography.

RESULTS

Based on data obtained during 12 months of the follow-up, the comparative analysis of the initial ophthalmic status of patients with RVO with opposite clinical effect resulted in derivation of 3 clinical groups that correspond to the degrees of macular ischemia - mild, moderate and severe.

CONCLUSION

Determination of the degree of macular ischemia at the stage of primary diagnosis can improve the treatment effectiveness and inform the patients about the sequence and duration of anti-VEGF therapy. Intravitreal injections of ranibizumab in retinal vein occlusion are carried out before the elimination of macular edema and further in the on-demand mode, while the number of injections can vary from one to monthly injections during the year.

[Electrophysiological studies of the retina in antiphospholipid syndrome]

AIM

to evaluate the functional state of the retina in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) through different types of electroretinography (ERG).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The total ERG (t-ERG), local macular ERG (m-ERG), and oscillatory potentials (OP) were recorded in 56 patients with verified APS.

RESULTS

In most patients with APS, ERG was of abnormal appearance, particularly, t-ERG was notable for reliably lower a- and b-wave amplitudes (70% of cases), m-ERG - for lower amplitudes and shorter latency (64% of cases). Pathological changes of t-ERG and m-ERG components were equally common in patients with and without retinal vascular occlusions. Linear dependence was established between the decrease in b-wave amplitude of subnormal t-ERG and the Vs value in the central retinal artery. A decrease in the OP index and OP configuration distortion were found in 82% of patients. At that, OP indices tended to be lower in patients from the retinal vascular occlusions group.

CONCLUSION

The use of different types of ERG enable detection of not only local, but also generalized retinal changes in APS. Regardless of the presence of retinal occlusion, APS patients show suppression of biopotential in most of cellular elements of the retina due to ischemia. Despite high visual acuity, the local macular potential gets significantly reduced in more than half of APS patients. Oscillatory potentials recording is a highly sensitive method for diagnosis of retinal ischmia in APS.