Malignant gliomas actively recruit bone marrow stromal cells by secreting angiogenic cytokines.

The transplantation of progenitor cells is a promising new approach for the treatment of gliomas. Marrow stromal cells (MSC) are possible candidates for such a cell-based therapy, since they are readily and autologously available and show an extensive tropism to gliomas in vitro and in vivo. However, the signals that guide the MSC are still poorly understood.

Retreatment of full-thickness macular hole: predictive value of optical coherence tomography.

Aim: To determine whether the efficacy of re-operation for idiopathic full-thickness macular hole (FTMH) remaining open after initial surgery with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling is correlated with macular hole configuration as determined by optical coherence tomography (OCT), macular hole size, macular hole duration before the first operation, or type of tamponade (gas or silicone oil).

Methods: A retrospective consecutive interventional case series of 28 patients (28 eyes) with a persisting macular hole after vitrectomy, ILM peel, and gas tamponade. 28 patients underwent repeat surgery involving vitrectomy and gas (n = 15) or silicone oil tamponade (n = 12) or no tamponade (n = 1).

Selective retina therapy (SRT): a review on methods, techniques, preclinical and first clinical results.

Selective retina therapy (SRT) is a new laser procedure for retinal diseases that are thought to be associated with a degradation of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The aim of the irradiation is to selectively damage the RPE without affecting the neural retina, the photoreceptors and the choroid. Goal of the treatment is to stimulate RPE cell migration and proliferation into the irradiated areas in order to improve the metabolism at the diseased retinal sites.

Treatment of central retinal vein occlusion by radial optic neurotomy in 107 cases.

Background: To evaluate the potential role of radial optic neurotomy (RON), a new surgical technique has been recently proposed for treating central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). It is hypothesized that CRVO constitutes a neurovascular compartment syndrome at the site of the lamina cribrosa, which can be alleviated by performing a radial incision at the nasal part of the optic nerve head, relaxing the cribriform plate and the adjacent sclera.

Methods: One hundred and seven patients were treated with RON for CRVO at five collaborating ophthalmologic centers.

Detection of Treponema pallidum in the vitreous by PCR.

Background: Ocular involvement of syphilis still poses a clinical challenge due to the chameleonic behaviour of the disease. As the serodiagnosis has significant limitations, the direct detection of Treponema pallidum (TP) in the vitreous represents a desirable diagnostic tool.

Methods: Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of TP was applied in diagnostic vitrectomies of two patients with acute chorioretinitis.

Autologous retinal pigment epithelium-choroid sheet transplantation in age related macular degeneration: morphological and functional results.

Objective: To evaluate the outcome of autologous retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-choroid sheet transplantation after removal of a subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) in patients with age related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: RPE-choroid sheet transplantation was performed in 10 consecutive patients with exudative AMD (n = 9) or geographic atrophy (n = 1). After CNV extraction, an autologous RPE-choroid patch was translocated from the midperiphery under the macula.

[Selective retina therapy: methods, technique, and online dosimetry].

Selective retina therapy (SRT) is currently under evaluation, as a new and very subtle laser method, for the treatment of retinal disorders associated with a degradation of the retinal pigmentary epithelium (RPE). SRT makes it possible to selectively effect the RPE, sparing the adjacent neural retina with the photoreceptors and also the choroid below the RPE. In the best case, the therapy leads to regeneration of the RPE and a long-term metabolic increase at the chorio-retinal junction.

[Selective retina therapy in patients with diabetic maculopathy].

Selective Retina Therapy (SRT) is a new laser treatment that selectively targets the retinal pigmen epithelium (RPE). In this study, we treated 39 patients presenting with nonischemic, focal and focal-diffuse diabetic maculopathy with SRT. In the main.

[Selective retina therapy in central serous chorioretinopathy with detachment of the pigmentary epithelium].

Background: Selective Retina Therapy (SRT) is a new and innovative laser treatment modality that selectively treats the retinal pigmentary epithelium while sparing the photoreceptors. This therapeutic concept appears to be particularly suitable for treating patients with acute or chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). We present preliminary results obtained in five patients who had CSC associated with pigmentary epithelium detachment (PED) and serous subretinal fluid (SRF) and who were treated with SRT.

[Diagnostics of metamorphopsia in retinal diseases of different origins].

We investigated the ability of preferential hyperacuity perimeter (PHP) and Amsler grid testing to detect metamorphosia in patients with macular hole (MH), central serous retinopathy (CSR), epiretinal membranes (EM), intermediate AMD (iAMD), classic and occult choroidal neovascularization (CNV) due to AMD, and compared the results. A total of 147 patients (n =153 eyes) with classic (35 eyes) and occult (38 eyes) CNV, iAMD (13 eyes), MF (23 eyes), RCS (11 eyes), EM (13 eyes) and control group (20 eyes) were involved. All of these patients underwent corrected visual acuity and eye examinations inclusive of the Amsler grid.

[Comparison of ILM peeling with and without the use of indocyanine green. Functional results for idiopathic macular hole after pars plana vitrectomy].

Background: Pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling is the best known therapy for idiopathic macular holes. Indocyanine green (ICG) is useful for staining the ILM, although there is a dose related toxic effect on the inner retinal layers. We compared outcome results with and without the use of ICG.

Selective retina therapy in patients with central serous chorioretinopathy.

Background: Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is a disease with a localized breakdown of the outer blood-retinal barrier located within the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) causing subretinal fluid accumulation. Selective retina therapy (SRT) is a new, minimally invasive laser technology that has been designed to selectively target the RPE. SRT spares retinal tissue.

Optoacoustic real-time dosimetry for selective retina treatment.

The selective retina treatment (SRT) targets retinal diseases associated with disorders in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Due to the ophthalmoscopic invisibility of the laser-induced RPE effects, we investigate a noninvasive optoacoustic real-time dosimetry system. In vitro porcine RPE is irradiated with a Nd:YLF laser (527 nm, 1.

Pars plana vitrectomy, phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation. Comparison of clinical complications in a combined versus two-step surgical approach.

Purpose: To report intra-and postoperative complications in pars plana vitrectomy, phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation. A comparison of the combined versus two step surgical approach is given.

Method: Medical records and operative notes of 111 eyes with combined surgery and 50 eyes with sequential surgery were retrospectively analysed.

Perfluorohexylethan (O62) as ocular endotamponade in complex vitreoretinal surgery.

Purpose: To investigate the safety and performance of perfluorohexylethan (O62), a partially fluorinated alkane, as an intraoperative tool and heavy ocular endotamponade in complex vitreoretinal surgery.

Patients And Methods: In a prospective clinical study, O62 was used as a postoperative ocular endotamponade in 11 eyes of 11 patients after pars plana vitrectomy for the following inferior pathologic conditions, proliferative vitreoretinopathy (n = 8), rhegmatogenous retinal redetachment with inferior tears (n = 1), and inferior giant tear (n = 2). The median duration of the O62 tamponade was 43 days (range, 17-55 days), and the median follow-up period after removal of the tamponade was 16 months.

Fundus autofluorescence in acute and chronic-recurrent central serous chorioretinopathy.

Purpose: Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) affects mostly young and middle-aged adults. Typically, a serous retinal detachment occurs with a focal leakage point in fluorescein angiography. Fundus autofluorescence (AF) is related to the lipofuscin within the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE).

Macular function and morphology after peeling of idiopathic epiretinal membrane with and without the assistance of indocyanine green.

Aim: To investigate macular function and morphology after surgical removal of idiopathic epiretinal membrane (IEM) with and without assistance of indocyanine green (ICG).

Methods: A retrospective study as a consecutive case series, of 39 patients with IEM. 39 patients, 23 female, 16 male, mean age 67 years, underwent standard three port pars plana vitrectomy with removal of epiretinal membrane.

Temperature dependent fluorescence of A2-E, the main fluorescent lipofuscin component in the RPE.

Purpose: A2-E is the dominant fluorophore of lipofuscin in the retinal pigment epithelium. In an in-vitro setup, we determined the temperature-dependent changes of the A2-E fluorescence with the aim of also assessing the potential value of such measurements for determining retinal temperature by autofluorescence measurements during laser treatment.

Methods: A2-E was biosynthesized and diluted in Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) to 1 microM.

Online autofluorescence measurements during selective RPE laser treatment.

Background: Fundus autofluorescence (AF) is derived from the lipofuscin contained by the retinal pigment epithelial cells. Using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope, two-dimensional AF measurements of the ocular fundus can be achieved. Directly after conventional photocoagulation and also after selective RPE laser treatment (SRT) with ophthalmoscopically non-visible laser lesions, irradiated areas reveal reduced AF, indicating RPE damage.

Immediate and long-term changes of fundus autofluorescence in continuous wave laser lesions of the retina.

Background And Objective: To determine whether fundus autofluorescence imaging is able to show changes in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) fluorescence after thermal laser photocoagulation.

Patients And Methods: In vivo imaging of fundus autofluorescence was performed with a scanning laser ophthalmoscope. A laser with a wavelength of 488 nm was used for excitation of the tissue and autofluorescence was detected above 500 nm using a barrier filter.

Influence of pulse duration and pulse number in selective RPE laser treatment.

Background And Objectives: The therapeutic effect of laser treatment for macular diseases is related to the damage to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the subsequent restoration of the defect due to RPE proliferation. In contrast to conventional laser treatment, it is possible to damage the RPE selectively and to spare the photoreceptors by using repetitive microsecond laser pulses. It was the aim of the study to investigate the influence of pulse duration and number of pulses on angiographically and ophthalmoscopically visible retinal damage thresholds in order to optimize treatment modalities.

Noninvasive optoacoustic temperature determination at the fundus of the eye during laser irradiation.

In all fundus laser treatments of the eye, the temperature increase is not exactly known. In order to optimize treatments, an online temperature determination is preferable. We investigated a noninvasive optoacoustic method to monitor the fundus temperature during pulsed laser irradiation.

Selective intraarterial fibrinolysis of acute central retinal artery occlusion.

Purpose: To evaluate the outcome of our patients with central retinal artery occlusion after local fibrinolysis and to compare these data with results reported in the literature.

Material And Methods: Over a period of 7 years, 22 patients (11 male, 11 female, mean age 64.6 +/- 12.