Publications by authors named "Laura Distefano"
Article Synopsis
- * The patient initially presented with symptoms like eyelid swelling and redness, which were frequently misidentified as preseptal cellulitis; however, specific ultrasound findings indicated posterior scleritis.
- * Treatment involved corticosteroids and the IL-6 inhibitor tocilizumab, emphasizing the need for a careful and comprehensive diagnosis, as posterior scleritis can be linked to systemic diseases in about 34% of cases.
Purpureocillium lilacinum-related endophthalmitis: case report.
J Ophthalmic Inflamm Infect
June 2024
Purpose: To report a case of Purpureocillium lilacinum endophthalmitis.
Methods: The case of a fungal endophthalmitis caused by Purpureocillium lilacinum documented in an immunocompetent patient with no apparent trigger.
Results: A 64-year-old male with a two-month history of panuveitis in his left eye was referred to our hospital.
Purpose: To investigate the rare manifestation of retinal vasculitis in Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and its correlation with specific gene mutations, particularly the MEFV gene, with a focus on the severity of phenotypes and systemic vasculitis.
Methods: A case report of a 45-year-old Armenian patient with FMF history and dual mutations (M680I and M694V) was analyzed. Clinical assessments, including ocular examinations, were conducted at various stages of the disease.
Article Synopsis
- * Among 46 patients, conjunctivitis (56.5%) and uveitis (50%) were the most common eye conditions, with cataracts and posterior synechiae being the primary structural complications.
- * The findings indicate that this cohort experienced less severe eye involvement compared to previous studies primarily focused on children, with effective treatment leading to good visual outcomes for most patients.
Background: endophthalmitis is a severe complication of candidemia. Currently, the recommended treatment of fungal endophthalmitis is a combination of intravitreal and systemic antifungal drugs, and in some cases vitrectomy is also required. Intravitreal therapies that are commonly used are amphotericin B and voriconazole, although recently the use of intravitreal caspofungin has been described in a few case reports.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) is far less common and studied in a Caucasian population than in an Asian population, and the optimal treatment approach remains to be confirmed.
Methods: A 52-week, double-masked, sham-controlled, phase 4, investigator-initiated randomized clinical trial (RCT) in naive symptomatic Caucasian patients with PCV treated with aflibercept in a treat-and-extend regimen (T&E) (intravitreal aflibercept injection [IVAI] T&E). Patients were randomized at week 16 to receive IVAI T&E plus either sham photodynamic therapy (PDT) or standard fluence PDT with verteporfin.
Background: Myotonic dystrophy is an inherited disease characterized by progressive muscle weakness and myotonia. It is a multisystemic disorder that affects different parts of the body, including the eye. Dysfunction of ocular muscles, ptosis and cataract are the most common ophthalmologic manifestations, but it can also present with pigmentary changes in the retina.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To identify different response patterns to intravitreal dexamethasone implants (IDI) in naïve and previously treated (PT) diabetic macular edema (DME) eyes in a real-life setting.
Methods: 342 IDI injections (203 DME eyes) were included. Number of IDI injections, percentage (%) of eyes with 1, 2, 3 and ≥ 4 injections, time to reinjections, visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP) and central retinal thickness (CRT) were evaluated for naïve and PT DME eyes over 24 months.
Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of temporary keratoprosthesis combined with vitreoretinal surgery and penetrating keratoplasty in patients with or without trauma.
Methods: This retrospective study included 49 eyes in 49 non-trauma patients and 51 eyes in 48 ocular trauma patients who underwent penetrating keratoplasty and vitreoretinal surgery with Eckardt temporary keratoprosthesis between 2009 and 2016, with a follow-up of at least 12 months. Study variables included previous corneal, glaucoma, or retinal surgeries; various intraoperative surgical maneuvers; lens status; vitreoretinal and corneal pathology; functional outcomes; anatomical retinal reattachment; graft clarity; and need for glaucoma surgery or treatment.
Purpose: To evaluate the long-term cumulative probability of intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation with the intravitreal dexamethasone implant (IDI) when used to treat different indications: diabetic macular edema, uveitis, retinal vein occlusion.
Methods: 705 IDI injections (429 eyes) were assessed and Kaplan-Meier graphs were generated to assess: the probability of different levels of IOP elevation (IOP≥21, ≥25 or ≥35 mmHg), IOP change ≥10 mmHg, initiation of IOP-lowering treatment, glaucoma surgery, IOP change with repeat injections and IOP elevation in eyes with glaucoma and ocular hypertension (OHT).
Results: The cumulative probability of IOP ≥21, ≥25 and ≥35 mmHg was 50%-60%, 25%-30% and 6%-7% at 12-24 months, respectively.
Diabetic macular edema (DME) is the most common cause of vision loss in diabetic patients. Thirty years ago, the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) demonstrated that focal/grid laser photocoagulation reduces moderate vision loss from DME by 50% or more; thus, macular photocoagulation became the gold standard treatment for DME. However, with the development of anti-VEGF drugs (bevacizumab, ranibizumab, and aflibercept), better outcomes were obtained in terms of visual acuity gain and decrease in macular thickness in some studies when antiangiogenic drugs were administered in monotherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: To report the management of vision-threatening complications of vasoproliferative tumors of the retina.
Methods: Clinical records of 31 eyes of 30 patients treated at our centers from 1998 through 2013 were reviewed. The main outcome measures included: type of treatment, tumor regression, tumor relapse and final visual acuity.
Purpose: To describe previously unreported endoresection of a high equatorial choroidal melanoma.
Methods: Surgical case report imaged with wide-angle retinography and angiography, ecography, optical coherence tomography, and a short video of surgical procedure.
Results: The authors describe a 9.
Purpose: To describe the clinical characteristics and to assess visual prognosis of patients with syphilis-associated uveitis in northern Spain.
Methods: Retrospective review of clinical records in eight general uveitis referral centers.
Results: Since the year 2000, 50 patients have been diagnosed: 31 men and 19 women; median age was 41 (19-76) years.
Purpose: To compare outcomes of eyes that did or did not develop an epiretinal membrane (ERM) after repair of primary pseudophakic or aphakic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment by pars plana vitrectomy alone.
Methods: Interventional, prospective, consecutive case series. Of 312 consecutive eyes that underwent pars plana vitrectomy for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, 28 (8.