No abstract

Knowledgeof the choroidal structures in eyes with diabetes and diabetic retinopathy (DR) should provide information on the pathogenesis of DR. A prospective study was performed to determine the systemic and ocular factors that affect the choroidal structures in eyes with diabetes. Two-hundred consecutive diabetic subjects consisted of 160 treatment-naïve patients with different stages of DR and 40 patients with proliferative DR with prior panretinal photocoagulation (PRP). All underwent blood and urine tests and enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). The cross-sectional EDI-OCT images of the subfoveal choroid were binarized to measure the total choroidal area (TCA), luminal area, and stromal area. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to determine the systemic and ocular factors that were significantly correlated with the choroidal structures. The subfoveal choroidal thickness, TCA, luminal area, and stromal area were larger at more advanced stage of DR, and smaller in eyes with PRP than those without (P < 0.001). The TCA and stromal area were significantly and positively correlated with the degree of albuminuria (P = 0.034, P = 0.025, respectively). The choroidal lumen and stroma may increase as the stages of DR progress and decrease after PRP. Albuminuria may be associated with the choroidal stromal edema.

For ELBW neonates with bowel obstruction of unclear etiology, the early and frequent administration of a Gastrografin(®) enema is reasonable. Surgery should be considered if the obstruction lasts beyond approximately 14 days after birth.

Translumenal esophagoesophageal anastomosis was feasible. The duration of the procedure was short, and the anastomoses appear to have sufficient strength for use in clinical practice. An in vivo survival study is needed to confirm the safety and reliability of this NOTES procedure.

Compared with fixed dosing regimens, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy using treat-and-extend (TAE) and treatment cessation regimens for exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and pachychoroid neovasculopathy (PN) may reduce the treatment burden on chronic patients. To confirm this, and to determine the factors related to the successful treatment cessation, we retrospectively examined the visual outcome and treatment frequency of 101 eyes with exudative AMD and PN that underwent treatment using TAE and treatment cessation regimen. We found that visual acuity was maintained at the last visit with a mean follow-up period of four years. At the last visit, nearly half of the eyes were being treated at an interval of ≥ 12 weeks, or were under treatment cessation. Further, more than a quarter of the eyes were under successful treatment cessation with a median treatment-free period of 126 weeks. There was a significant association of successful treatment cessation at the last visit with good early treatment response and a small recurrence number. Moreover, eyes with ≥ 2 recurrences were unlikely to achieve long-term treatment cessation. This information could help physicians predict the achievement of treatment cessation for a considerable period.