Proliferative retinopathy and toxemia of pregnancy.

Retinopathy occurring during toxemia of pregnancy generally shows the features of hypertensive retinopathy. The authors describe the case of a patient with bilateral peripheral neovascularizations following toxemia of pregnancy. The likely pathogenesis is ascribed to the development of ischemic areas, which can be determined by microthrombus formation.

[Hyperplastic primary vitreous with persistent hyaloid artery in 2 non-twin brothers].

The authors describe the case of two brothers afflicted with persistent anterior hyperplasic primary vitreous and hyaloid artery. The occurrence of combination in two members of the same family is unusual, also moreover one of the patients was affected by macular retinoschisis. The two cases were clinically different; the first was typical, complicated by cataract; the second presented alterations mostly located in the posterior vitreous.

Eight-year follow-up of central serous chorioretinopathy with and without laser treatment.

A long-term retrospective study was conducted on two groups of patients affected with typical central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR). One group was not treated and the other was treated by direct argon laser photocoagulation. CSCR shows a long-term good prognosis of visual acuity.

Transscleral contact cyclophotocoagulation with Nd:YAG laser CW: experimental study on rabbit eyes.

The authors suggest a new type of transscleral cyclophotocoagulation by using the Nd:YAG laser. This was done by bringing fibre optics into contact with the sclera. The study illustrates the macroscopic, histologic and scanning electron microscopic changes produced on the ciliary body of rabbit eyes with this technique.

Laser treatment of macular subretinal neovascularizations in angioid streaks.

A serous hemorrhagic maculopathy with a subretinal neovascular membrane appears in about 70% of cases of angioid streaks. In this study a series of 60 eyes (31 patients) was reviewed. In 13 eyes macular subretinal neovascularizations were photocoagulated with blue-green argon laser, green argon laser, dye laser (rhodamine 6G) at 590 nm and red krypton laser.

[Vascular and rhegmatogenous peripheral retinal changes in essential systemic arterial hypertension].

The authors examined the peripheral retina of 106 patients affected by essential hypertension grading from 1st to 3rd, as classified by WHO. Research of peripheral retinal vascular alterations and of theoretically possible resulting degenerative changes (lattice degeneration, while without pressure and snail tract degeneration) was carried out. The study included a control group of 39 healthy subjects.

Diabetic papillopathy: fluorangiographic aspects.

Diabetic papillopathy is one of the signs of diabetic microangiopathy. Up to now several researchers have taken interest in this disease, providing various and sometimes clashing pathogenetical interpretations. The most plausible gives a major importance to a localized damage of the peripapillary vascular radial network, considering the anatomo-physiological features of this structure.

[Hemorheological aspects of diabetic retinopathy].

Among the various factors which contribute to the onset of diabetic retinopathy, modifications both in the retinal vessel walls and the circulating blood volume have been recognized. It cannot be excluded that the indicated hemorheologic alterations and the presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy are independent manifestations, both of them secondary to the metabolic imbalance and not correlated as cause and effect. Nevertheless, the possibility to modify through drugs and an appropriate metabolic control the probably altered hemorheologic situation in diabetes mellitus certainly represents the aim to pursue in order to reduce the severity of diabetic retinopathy.

Management of compartmental syndrome. Diagnostic and surgical considerations.

Compartmental syndrome is a condition in which swelling within a closed anatomic space increases the intracompartmental pressure to compromise the circulation and function of tissue within that space. Unless this condition is recognized early and treated by prompt surgical decompression, permanent neuromuscular deficits may result. In those instances in which early clinical evidence of this syndrome is difficult to assess, monitoring of intramuscular pressures may be valuable adjunct in the clinical evaluation of patients at risk for this syndrome.

Blue digit syndrome: urgent indication for digital salvage.

The sudden onset of digital ischemia due to microembolization from a proximal source (the blue digit syndrome) requires immediate attention because not only the digit, but also the entire extremity, may be at risk. In our experience, 11 patients with the blue digit syndrome were encountered. Treatment consisted of eradication of the proximal embolic source followed by lumbar sympathectomy in four patients, direct arterial surgery alone in five patients, and lumbar sympathectomy alone in two patients.

[Idiopathic macular retinoschisis in the young subject associated with preretinal and prepapillary neovessels].

Idiopathic juvenile retinoschisis is a sex-linked disease, which generally involves the macula and the retinal periphery in 50% of cases. The authors report a case of juvenile retinoschisis in which the central schisis was associated with wide non-perfused retinal areas causing the growth of retinal and epipapillary neovascularizations in one eye. The new vessels produced an intravitreal hemorrhage.

Effect of suture technique on blood velocity waveforms in the microvascular anastomosis of autogenous vein graft.

In using autogenous vein grafts in microvascular surgery, maintenance of compliance at the site of anastomosis is of importance in achieving patency. Using high-frequency, 20 MHz, pulsed Doppler ultrasonography to monitor blood flow velocity through the vein graft, we have evaluated the effects of continuous and interrupted suture technique on anastomotic compliance in vessels less than 1.5 mm in diameter.

Comparison of continuous and interrupted suture techniques in microvascular anastomosis.

A comparison of the continuous and the interrupted suture techniques, ten procedures each, was performed upon dogs using high frequency pulsed Doppler ultrasonography to monitor blood velocity. No statistically significant differences in the blood velocity profile were found between the two techniques. The pulsatility of the vessels after anastomosis was similar for both techniques.

Fluorescein retinal angiography in the early diagnosis of optic disc edema.

33 patients hospitalized for suspected intracranial space-occupying lesion with negative or dubious ophthalmoscopic findings underwent fluorescein retinal angiography (FRA). The final diagnosis was based on the clinical and instrumental evidence. In 18 patients FRA showed late fluorescence of the optic disc with blurring of its margins.

Radiation exposure to the operator performing cardiac angiography with U-arm systems.

We measured the radiation exposure received by a group of operators performing 700 coronary angiograms. All studies were performed using the brachial artery approach and the Philips Cardio Diagnost. Nineteen sites were monitored on each operator, using lithium fluoride thermoluminescent dosimeters.

Retinal angiography in the study of cerebral ischemia.

On the basis of the assumption of an affinity between cerebral and retinal vessels, it was sought to demonstrate that the variations induced in the retinal circulation are akin to those occurring at the cerebral level. The technique of retinal fluorescein angiography was used to evaluate the amplitude of the vasal lumen and the speed of circulation. In 5 patients, the drug used was (-)eburnamonine.

Presence of endoarterial dispositives regulating retinal blood circulation.

We have observed for the first time some pedunculated blocking formations of the central retinal artery. Their function could be to regulate retinal blood perfusion.