Improving keratoconus management with central cor neal regularization and corneal collagen cross-linking protocol treatment

PURPOSE

To evaluate safety and efficacy of customized central corneal regularization (CCR), together with simultaneous accelerated corneal collagen cross-linking (A-CXL) - CCR-CXL protocol, to treat keratoconus-related corneal ectasia.

DESIGN

Retrospective, comparative observational case series.

METHODS

Patients that had undergone combined CCR-CXL protocol. Main inclusion criteria were keratoconus visual acuity deterioration and contact lens intolerance. All patients underwent complete ophthalmological evaluation, corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) and Scheimpflug-corneal tomography. Central corneal regularization was performed by ablation using flying spot laser. Subsequently, the stroma was saturated with 0.17% riboflavin-5-phosphate added every 2 minutes, followed by A-CXL 9 mW/cm2 for 10 minutes. CDVA, medium keratometry value (Kmed), and total corneal morphological irregularity index (CMI) of patients were analyzed before surgery and after 1, 3 and 12 months. A P value of .05 or less was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

46 eyes of 39 keratoconus patients were treated. At 1 month, the mean CDVA (LogMar) increased from 0.19 ± 0.02 to 0.12 ± 0.02 (P < .05), and the difference remained stable at month 12. Kmax decrease was statistically significant from 57.02 ± 5.65 to 50.21 ± 4.48 (P < .05). CMI decreased significantly from 47.8 ± 2.84 to 30.1 ± 2.4 (P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

CCR-CXL protocol is safe and effective in arresting keratectasia progression and increasing corneal optic regularity in keratoconus. These findings showed a significant improvement in CDVA, keratometry values and corneal optical aberrations after being treated with the CCR-CXL protocol.

A new method to assess foveal morphology with optical coherence tomography

PURPOSE

To measure foveal morphology using optical coherence tomography (OCT).

METHODS

Three examiners classified normal subjects and patients with macular edema and epiretinal membranes from a normative database (299 OCT scans) and a study sample (80 OCT scans) on the basis of the foveal depression appearance (reference classification). The following parameters were measured for each OCT scan: Central Foveal Thickness (CFT), Central Subfield Thickness (CST), Central Subfield Volume (CSV), Centrofoveal Index (CI), Parafoveal Index (PI), and Foveal Indices (FI1, FI2, FI3). Foveal depression of OCT scans in the study sample were classified based on the values of OCT parameters using Bayesian statistics (test classifications).

RESULTS

Agreement between reference and test classifications was of 70% for CFT, 58.7% for CST, 60% for CSV, 80% for CI, 72.5% for PI, 88.7% for FI1, 96.2% for FI2 and 97.5% for FI3.

CONCLUSIONS

IF3 seems to provide a reliable measure of the foveal morphology.

Trattamento endoscopico della calcolosi ureterale

Non-invasive techniques have revolutionized the treatment of ureteral stones. We report the success rate and the complication rate of ureteral calculosis treatment with ureterorenoscopy. From November 1990 to April 1994 we have treated 121 patients with URS. In all cases we have used a 12.5 F. “Wolf” rigid ureteroscope. 85 patients (70.2%) were treated with ultrasonic lithotripsy; 36 (29.7%) with a Dormia basket; and in 16 cases a combined treatment of both procedures was employed. Complete stone removal was obtained in 96 patients (79.3%) but six of these required further endoscopic treatment. The complication rate was 7.4 per cent (9 patients) and two patients (1.6%) needed open surgery. In our experience ureteroscopy is a good approach to the treatment of ureteral stones.