Telemedicine services facilitate the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of the remote patient. Telemedicine has rapidly flourished in the United States and has improved access to care, outcomes, and patient satisfaction. However, the use of telemedicine in ophthalmology is currently in its infancy and has yet to gain wide acceptance. Current models of telemedicine in ophthalmology are largely performed via “store and forward” methods, but remote monitoring and interactive modalities exist. Although studies have examined the effects of telemedicine, few reports have characterized its current status. We perform a descriptive analysis of the current state of teleophthalmology in the United States. We describe the use of teleophthalmology in the hospital and outpatient settings. We also review the applications to retinopathy of prematurity, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and glaucoma, as well as anticipated barriers and hurdles for the future adoption of teleophthalmology. With ongoing advances in teleophthalmology, these models may provide earlier detection and more reliable monitoring of vision-threatening diseases.

DW MR imaging, with the help of ADCs, may be a useful noninvasive imaging technique in differentiating hepatic abscess from cystic or necrotic tumor.

Diffusion weighted MRI was performed on patients with acute vertebral body compression. The usefulness of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in differentiating between benign and malignant fractures was evaluated. A total of 49 acute vertebral body compression fractures were found in 32 patients. 25 fractures in 18 patients were due to osteoporosis, 18 fractures in 12 patients were histologically proven to be due to malignancy, and 6 fractures in 2 patients were due to tuberculosis. Signal intensities on T(1) weighted, short tau inversion recovery (STIR) and diffusion weighted images were compared. ADC values of normal and abnormal vertebral bodies were calculated. Except for two patients with sclerotic metastases, benign acute vertebral fractures were hypointense and malignant acute vertebral fractures were hyperintense with respect to normal bone marrow on diffusion weighted images. Mean combined ADCs (ADC(cmb); average of the combined ADCs in the x, y and z diffusion directions) were 0.23 x 10(-3) mm(2) s(-1) in normal vertebrae, 0.82 x 10(-3) mm(2) s(-1) in malignant acute vertebral fractures and 1.94 x 10(-3) mm(2) s(-1) in benign acute vertebral fractures. The differences between ADC(cmb) values were statistically significant (p<0.001). The ADC is useful in differentiating benign from malignant acute vertebral body compression fractures, but there may be overlapping ADC values between malignant fractures and tuberculous spondylitis.

Purpose: To report a detachment that apparently separated photoreceptor inner segment myoids from inner segment ellipsoids as a manifestation of toxoplasmosis chorioretinitis in a patient with pachychoroid spectrum disease.Methods: Multimodal imaging including fundus photography, spectral domain and enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography (OCT), indocyanine green angiography, and OCT angiography.Results: A 33-year-old man with a history of toxoplasmosis chorioretinitis reported 1 week of decreased vision to 20/200 in his right eye. Examination of the right eye demonstrated mild vitritis with recurrent chorioretinitis inferior to the fovea and adjacent to a chorioretinal scar. A dome-shaped, foveal photoreceptor layersplitting detachment was noted on OCT. Because degenerating cone photoreceptors are capable of shedding their inner segments, we inferred the location of the detachment at the level of the inner segment myoid and provided a histological example of such from an unrelated donor case. In addition, multimodal imaging revealed dilated choroidal veins (pachyvessels) with attenuation of the inner choroid in both eyes and asymptomatic findings of central serous chorioretinopathy in the left eye. After 1 month of antibiotic and steroid therapy, the chorioretinitis resolved, as did the detachment. Hyperreflective foci on the vitreoretinal interface were appreciated with en face OCT that appeared to aggregate throughout the course of therapy, induce inner retinal striae, and resolve without inducing epiretinal membrane formation.Conclusion: Patients with preexisting pachychoroid spectrum disease may manifest a more significant retinal fluid accumulation in the setting of superimposed chorioretinal inflammation. In this case of macular toxoplasmosis chorioretinitis, inflammation manifested as a retinal detachment at the level of photoreceptor inner segment myoids that we named as a bacillary layer detachment. In this case, inflammatory sequelae of toxoplasmosis reactivation responded well to oral and intravitreal therapy.

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