Simona Stanca

Dr. Simona Stanca


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

4Years (2023-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
10 June 2023 in Medicina
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
ALAlina Simona Lazar
Alina Simona Lazar
Horia Tudor StancaHoria Tudor Stanca
Horia Tudor Stanca
BTBogdana Tăbăcaru
Bogdana Tăbăcaru
Ciprian DanielescuCiprian Danielescu
Ciprian Danielescu
Mihnea MunteanuMihnea Munteanu
Mihnea Munteanu
SSSimona Stanca
Simona Stanca
Diabetic macular edema (DME) is one of the main ocular complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) that can lead to important vision loss in diabetic patients. In clinical practice, there are cases of DME with unsatisfying treatment responses, despite adequate therapeutic management. Diabetic macular ischemia (DMI) is one of the causes suggested to be associated with the persistence of fluid accumulation. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a non-invasive imaging modality, able to give in-depth information about retinal vascularization in a 3-dimensional manner. The OCTA devices currently available can provide various OCTA metrics that quantitatively assess the retinal microvasculature. In this paper, we reviewed the results of multiple studies that investigated the changes in OCTA metrics in the setting of DME and their possible contribution to the diagnosis, therapeutic management, follow-up and prognosis of patients with DME. We analyzed and compared relevant studies that investigated OCTA parameters related to changes in macular perfusion in the setting of DME and we evaluated the correlations between DME and several quantitative parameters, such as vessel density (VD), perfusion density (PD), foveal avascular zone (FAZ)-related parameters, as well as complexity indices of retinal vasculature. The results of our research showed that OCTA metrics, evaluated especially at the level of the deep vascular plexus (DVP), are useful instruments that can contribute to the assessment of patients with DME.

24 March 2023 in Medicina
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Antonia Elena RanettiAntonia Elena Ranetti
Antonia Elena Ranetti
Horia Tudor StancaHoria Tudor Stanca
Horia Tudor Stanca
BTBogdana Tăbăcaru
Bogdana Tăbăcaru
CTCosmin-Adrian Teodoru
Cosmin-Adrian Teodoru
Mihnea MunteanuMihnea Munteanu
Mihnea Munteanu
SSSimona Stanca
Simona Stanca
Background and Objectives: Retromode is a relatively new retinal-imaging technique that is based on the transillumination principle and is obtained with a scanning laser ophthalmoscope that uses light in the infrared spectrum. The laser light penetrates into the deep retinal layers and the choroid. Retromode images are captured with a laterally displaced aperture, and the detector captures only the scattered light. The result is a high-contrast pseudo-three-dimensional image. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disabling retinal disease. AMD is characterized in its early stage by small and intermediate drusen formation, while the signs of intermediate AMD are large drusen and/or pigmentary abnormalities. Late AMD has two forms, geographic atrophy, which is the advanced form of dry AMD, and wet AMD. Most of the lesions of AMD are located in the outer layers of the retina. This new imaging method can provide a glimpse of the deep retinal layers’ topographic changes in a non-invasive, fast, and effective way that can match the other imaging tools available. Materials and Methods: The literature review was performed by searching the PubMed database using the following combination of keywords: retromode imaging and age-related macular degeneration. Relevant images similar to the ones in the literature were identified and used as models. Results: The purpose of this article is to highlight the utility of incorporating retromode imaging into the multimodal evaluation of the retina in patients with AMD and to gather and integrate these findings into a brief but comprehensive paper. Conclusions: Retromode imaging is a good screening, diagnosis, and monitoring tool for patients with AMD.

16 June 2025 in Microorganisms
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
GNGabriela Viorela Nitescu
Gabriela Viorela Nitescu
DUDiana Andreea Usurelu
Diana Andreea Usurelu
TOTeodora Olsavszky
Teodora Olsavszky
AMAna-Maria Mihalcea
Ana-Maria Mihalcea
APAndra Postelnicu
Andra Postelnicu
CUCoriolan Emil Ulmeanu
Coriolan Emil Ulmeanu
Multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare but potentially severe condition that affects multiple organ systems. This study aimed to assess the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients diagnosed with multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19. A 12-month prospective study was conducted at the “Grigore Alexandrescu” Clinical Emergency Hospital for Children, Bucharest. This study included children aged 0–18 years who were diagnosed with MIS-C, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria. Data on age, gender, clinical and laboratory findings, treatment, and outcomes were analyzed. Follow-up evaluations occurred at one, three, six, nine, and twelve months post-discharge. Among 36 patients (47.3% female, 52.7% male; mean age, 9.9 years), fever and inflammatory syndrome were present in all patients. Other common symptoms included mucocutaneous (63.8%), gastrointestinal (52.7%), cardiac (47.2%), pulmonary (38.8%), and neurological (11.1%) manifestations. At admission, 14/36 were IgM-positive, while 34/36 were IgG-positive. Follow-up revealed sequelae in two patients, including coronary aneurysms and ground-glass pulmonary opacities. Although MIS-C can be severe, most patients had favorable outcomes with proper treatment. Few long-term, organ-specific complications were observed, highlighting the importance of systematic monitoring to ensure full recovery.

2 July 2025 in Diagnostics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Antonia Elena RanettiAntonia Elena Ranetti
Antonia Elena Ranetti
Horia Tudor StancaHoria Tudor Stanca
Horia Tudor Stanca
Mihnea MunteanuMihnea Munteanu
Mihnea Munteanu
RRRaluca Bievel Radulescu
Raluca Bievel Radulescu
SSSimona Stanca
Simona Stanca
Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of permanent vision loss in the elderly, particularly in higher-income countries. Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging is a widely used, non-invasive technique that complements structural imaging in the assessment of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) integrity. While optical coherence tomography (OCT) remains the gold standard for retinal imaging due to its high-resolution cross-sectional visualization, FAF offers unique metabolic insights. Among the FAF modalities, blue light FAF (B-FAF) is more commonly employed, whereas green light FAF (G-FAF) provides subtly different image characteristics, particularly improved visualization and contrast in the central macula. Despite identical acquisition times and nearly indistinguishable workflows, G-FAF is notably underutilized in clinical practice. Objectives: This narrative review critically compares green and blue FAF in terms of their diagnostic utility relative to OCT, with a focus on lesion detectability, macular pigment interference, and clinical decision-making in retinal disorders. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed using the PubMed database for studies published prior to February 2025. The search utilized the keywords fundus autofluorescence and age-related macular degeneration. The primary focus was on short-wavelength FAF and its clinical utility in AMD, considering three aspects: diagnosis, follow-up, and prognosis. The OCT findings served as the reference standard for anatomical correlation and diagnostic accuracy. Results: Both FAF modalities correlated well with OCT in detecting RPE abnormalities. G-FAF demonstrated improved visibility of central lesions due to reduced masking by macular pigment and enhanced contrast in the macula. However, clinical preference remained skewed toward B-FAF, driven more by tradition and device default settings than by evidence-based superiority. G-FAF’s diagnostic potential remains underrecognized despite its comparable practicality and subtle imaging advantages specifically for AMD patients. AMD stages were accurately characterized, and relevant images were used to highlight the significance of G-FAF and B-FAF in the examination of AMD patients. Conclusions: While OCT remains the gold standard, FAF provides complementary information that can guide management strategy. Since G-FAF is functionally equivalent in acquisition, it offers slight advantages. Broader awareness and more frequent integration of G-FAF that could optimize multimodal imaging strategies, particularly in the intermediate stage, should be developed.

Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
JVJelena Vasilijevic
Jelena Vasilijevic
IKIgor Kovačević
Igor Kovačević
SPSnezana Polovina
Snezana Polovina
BDBojana Dacic-Krnjaja
Bojana Dacic-Krnjaja
TKTanja Kalezic
Tanja Kalezic
MJMaja D Jesic
Maja D Jesic
(1) Background: This study aims to evaluate retinal perfusion by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) without diabetic retinopathy (DR). (2) Methods: Thirty-one patients affected by T1D were enrolled. All participants were evaluated using OCTA. The foveal avascular zone (FAZ) and superficial and deep macular vessel density (VD) were analyzed. The correlation of these parameters with metabolic factors such as body mass index (BMI), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and the type of insulin therapy (multiple daily injections, MDI vs. continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion, CSII) was determined. (3) Results: None of the OCTA parameters were significantly different between the groups. The patients’ HbA1C level did not influence any of the OCTA parameters. The use of MDI tended to reduce the parafoveal and perifoveal deep VD (p = 0.048 and p = 0.021, respectively) compared to CSII. An elevated BMI tended to increase the deep macular (p = 0.005) and perifoveal VD (p = 0.006). (4) Conclusion: VD and FAZ are normal in pubescent children with T1D without signs of DR. Treatment with CSII may be a better choice compared to MDI, as CSII may be protective against retinal microvascular damage. Our results indicate the need for new clinical parameters of glycemic control in addition to HbA1c which could assess the risk of DR.

20 February 2025 in Journal of Clinical Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Mihnea MunteanuMihnea Munteanu
Mihnea Munteanu
Leila Al BarriLeila Al Barri
Leila Al Barri
SSSimona Stanca
Simona Stanca
VMValeria Mocanu
Valeria Mocanu
CRCosmin Rosca
Cosmin Rosca
Horia Tudor StancaHoria Tudor Stanca
Horia Tudor Stanca
Background/Objectives: Accurate biometric measurements are critical for achieving optimal refractive outcomes in cataract surgery. This study evaluated the agreement of biometric measurements between a swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS–OCT) biometer (Argos®, Movu Inc.) and an optical low-coherence interferometry (OLCI) biometer (Aladdin®, Topcon Corp.). Parameters analyzed included axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), keratometry (K1, K2), and white-to-white corneal diameter (WTW). Methods: A total of 170 eyes were examined, and agreement was assessed using Bland–Altman analysis, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), and Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: Excellent agreement was observed for AL (ICC = 0.975), ACD (ICC = 0.960), LT (ICC = 0.951), K1 (ICC = 0.921), and K2 (ICC = 0.927). Moderate agreement was found for astigmatism axis (ICC = 0.655) and cylinder power (ICC = 0.891). Poor agreement was noted for astigmatism-related Jackson cross-cylinder vectors J0 (ICC = 0.334) and J45 (ICC = −0.311), as well as for WTW (ICC = 0.338). Bland–Altman plots demonstrated narrow limits of agreement for most parameters, with mean differences of 0.009 mm for AL and 0.06 mm for ACD. Conclusions: Both devices demonstrated high degrees of agreement for core biometric parameters, supporting their clinical interchangeability. However, the variability in WTW and astigmatism-related measurements highlights the need for caution when precise corrections are required.