Inflammation of renal interstitium and uveal tissue establishes the two components of tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis (TINU) syndrome. Although believed to occur more frequently in young females, a broad spectrum of patients can be affected. Both renal and eye disease can be asymptomatic and may not manifest simultaneously, having independent progressions. Renal disease manifests as acute kidney injury and may cause permanent renal impairment. Eye inflammation can manifest in different anatomical forms, most commonly as bilateral anterior uveitis and may progress to a chronic course. TINU syndrome accounts for approximately 1%–2% of uveitis in tertiary referral centres. A literature review covering the clinical features, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment is presented.
Purpose: Previous studies report that the response of retinal vessels to a decrease in oxygen (hypoxia) is vasodilation, thus increasing blood flow. We aimed to characterize the changes in retinal microvasculature induced by a mild hypoxia stress test in a healthy population, using ocular coherence tomography angiography (OCT‐A) technology.Methods: Interventional repeated‐measures study. The standardized hypoxia challenge test (HCT) was performed to all volunteers, according to the British Thoracic Society protocol. Ocular coherence tomography angiography (OCT‐A) was performed at three time‐points (baseline, during HCT and 30′ posthypoxia). Macular and peripapillary vessel densities were assessed using the built‐in software. To minimize bias, analysis was performed separately in right (OD) and left (OS) eyes. Repeated‐measures anova and mean comparison analysis were used as statistical tests (stata v13).Results: Studied population included 30 healthy subjects (14 women), with a mean age of 28.8 ± 4.2 [range 22–37] years. Baseline vessel density increased in hypoxic conditions and subsequently decreased to near‐baseline values in posthypoxia conditions. This pattern was observed for both eyes in both parafovea (OD: 55.3 ± 2.3 to 56.7 ± 1.9 to 55.8 ± 1.9, p < 0.05; OS: 56.9 ± 2.1 to 57.9 ± 1.9 to 57.3 ± 1.7, p < 0.05) and peripapillary (OD: 60.5 ± 0.5 to 62.6 ± 0.5 to 60.1 ± 0.4, p < 0.05; OS: 60.4 ± 0.4 to 62.3 ± 0.5 to 60.7 ± 0.4, p < 0.05) areas.Conclusion: To our knowledge, there are no published data specifically addressing mild hypoxia conditions and retinal microvasculature changes, using OCT‐A. This pilot study may pave way to better understand vascular responses in disease setting.
5 August 2016 in Journal of Current Glaucoma Practice
To report a case of a patient who developed uveitis-glaucoma-hyphema (UGH) syndrome after an uneventful cataract surgery and to discuss risk factors, diagnostic challenges, management options, and clinical implications. Uveitis-glaucoma-hyphema syndrome is a rare but potentially serious cataract surgery complication. Clinical manifestations include increased intraocular pressure (IOP), anterior chamber inflammation, and recurrent hyphema or microhyphema. Uveitis-glaucoma-hyphema Plus syndrome also includes accompanying vitreous hemorrhage. Although classically associated with rigid anterior chamber intraocular lenses (lOLs), cases of malpositioning and subluxated posterior chamber lOLs have also been described as possible triggers. We report a case of a 70-year-old Caucasian man who developed UGH Plus syndrome after an uneventful cataract surgery with an lOL implanted in the capsular bag. During postoperative follow-up, persistent intraocular inflammation, increased IOP, hyphema, and vitreous hemorrhage were consistent with this diagnosis. Slit-lamp examination demonstrated progressive localized iris atrophy, compatible with chafing of the posterior iris by the IOL haptic as the trigger for UGH syndrome. A pars plana vitrectomy was performed and a retropupillary intraocular lens was implanted. No further complications occurred during follow-up. Given the increasing prevalence of single-piece lOLs implanted in the capsular bag, it is important to recognize UGH syndrome as a rare but potentially serious complication. How to cite this article: Sousa DC, Leal I, Faria MY, Pinto LA. A Rare Manifestation of Uveitis-glaucoma-hyphema Syndrome. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2016;10(2):76-78.
Anti‐tumour necrosis factor (TNF) drugs have been extensively used in non‐infectious uveitis (NIU), when corticosteroids or conventional immunosuppressive drugs cannot adequately control inflammation or intolerable side‐effects occur. However, systemic anti‐TNF therapies are also associated with a myriad of side‐effects. Therefore, intravitreal administration of anti‐TNF biologics has been employed to minimize patient morbidity and systemic adverse effects, while maintaining therapeutic effectivity. We undertook a systematic review to determine evidence of efficacy and safety of intravitreal administration of anti‐TNF drugs in adults with NIU. We conducted this systematic review according to the PRISMA guidelines. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42016041946). We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE and EMBASE, from inception to April 2017, as well as clinical trial registries and grey literature. The qualitative analysis included all studies of adult patients with a diagnosis of NIU and who received intravitreal anti‐TNF drugs with a 4‐week minimum follow‐up. A total of 4840 references were considered for title and abstract screening. Seven full texts were screened, and five studies were considered for analysis. All studies were open‐label, single‐centre, prospective, non‐randomized, interventional case series with a follow‐up between 4 and 26 weeks, employing either adalimumab in two studies and infliximab in three. Three studies showed a treatment effect of anti‐TNF intravitreal injections, while one study revealed short‐term improvement and one study revealed no efficacy of anti‐TNF intravitreal therapy. None of the studies reported ocular adverse effects but only two studies included electrophysiological assessment in the safety analysis and no study assessed systemic human anti‐drug antibodies. The available evidence is not sufficiently robust to conclude about the clinical effectivity of intravitreal anti‐TNF in NIU and so no recommendation can be made. In conclusion, intravitreal injection of anti‐TNF antibodies remains a possible treatment option to be explored through robust clinical investigation.
Précis: A large cohort undergoing cataract extraction was retrospectively analyzed to ascertain the degree of real-world intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction in normal eyes and those with glaucoma, and a predictive formula was developed. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to define the real-world degree of IOP reduction after cataract extraction to guide its role as an isolated intervention for glaucoma. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out of clinical data collected in 8 clinical sites in the United Kingdom from an electronic medical record system between January 2006 and May 2015. A total of 20,508 eyes without known pathology and 2251 eyes from patients with glaucoma undergoing phacoemulsification and intraocular lens insertion were included. Eyes with intraoperative complications, undergoing additional procedures, axial lengths outside 22 to 26.5 mm, preoperative IOP under 6 mm Hg or over 30 mm Hg, and copathology, except for amblyopia or glaucoma, were excluded. The main outcome measure was the change in preoperative IOP compared with the next recorded visit for up to 12 weeks. Results: In eyes without pathology, the mean reduction in IOP was 1.40 mm Hg (±3.74) compared with 1.03 (±5.02), P-value <0.001, in eyes with a diagnosis of glaucoma. A multiple linear regression model identified preoperative IOP, a glaucoma diagnosis, preoperative corrected visual acuity, age, and axial length as determinants of IOP reduction. The model was validated against an independent cohort. Conclusions: We quantify mean IOP reduction achieved in a real-world setting from cataract surgery alone. In glaucomatous eyes where angle closure is not differentiated, phacoemulsification alone yields only a modest reduction of IOP.