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Biomedical subjects

Alfredo Pece

Publications and source records attributed to Alfredo Pece.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Why Cyclops could not compete with Ulysses: monocular vision and mental images.

The present research demonstrates that the limitations of congenitally blind people in tasks requiring the processing of mental images are specifically related to the absence of binocular vision and not to the absence of vision per se. We contrasted three different groups of participants: sighted; visually impaired, with reduced binocular vision; monocular, with a normal visual acuity although in one eye only. Visually impaired participants (i.e. blurred vision) show a pattern of performance comparable to that of the sighted. In contrast, monocular participants show a similar pattern of performance to congenitally blind individuals despite being able to see perfectly well. These results shed new light on the relationship between perception and imagery and on the characteristics of sequential and simultaneous processes in the human brain.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Back pain after photodynamic therapy with verteporfin.

PURPOSE: To report the incidence of back pain after photodynamic therapy, which suggests methods for prevention that are related to its pathogenesis. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: We retrospectively observed 548 patients who had undergone photodynamic therapy with verteporfin. RESULTS: Of 548 patients at the first treatment, 14 patients (2.6%) experienced pain during the infusion. Eleven patients were being treated for age-related macular degeneration; their mean age was 81 years, which significantly differed from the mean age of the overall age-related macular degeneration group (P = .003). The pain was mild in eight patients, moderate in four patients, and severe in two patients, with dyspnea and precordial pain. Five of the 14 patients had further courses of photodynamic therapy. After being treated prophylactically 60 minutes before photodynamic therapy, only one patient reported further mild pain. CONCLUSIONS: The biologic mechanisms of back pain may involve a high level of circulating thromboxanes that are induced by the liposomal composition of verteporfin. Prevention may include hydration, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and halving the infusion rate.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Choroidal ischemia after photodynamic therapy with verteporfin for choroidal neovascularization.

PURPOSE: To report delay in choroidal perfusion suggestive of ischemia after photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin for choroidal neovascularization (CNV). DESIGN: Observational case series. METHODS: Retrospective review of all patients who developed choroidal ischemia after PDT. RESULTS: This vascular change was found in eight (2.1%) of 373 eyes of patients treated for CNV as a result of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and in one (0.9%) of 114 eyes treated for pathologic myopia. A decrease of 3 lines of vision was reported to occur one week after treatment in patients with AMD. At the 12-month examination, patients did not exhibit any marked changes in visual acuity. CONCLUSIONS: Choroidal ischemia was an uncommon manifestation owing to the selectivity of verteporfin therapy and the existence of abundant anastomotic vascular connections in the choroid. The low incidence of this vascular event should not preclude counseling PDT in eyes that could benefit greatly from this therapy.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin of choroidal malignancy from breast cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin for treating a submacular choroidal metastasis from breast cancer. DESIGN: Interventional case report. METHODS: Multispot PDT irradiation of tumor surface was performed in a 45-year-old woman who had a choroidal metastasis from breast cancer in the right eye. The response of uveal metastasis to photodynamic action was investigated with the use of fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT). RESULTS: Within four months after photosensitization, the exudative detachment of the macula was resolved, with improvement in the visual acuity following decrease in the tumor vascular permeability and absorption of subretinal fluid. CONCLUSIONS: PDT can effectively destroy a malignant tissue and induce an antitumor activity. PDT as an adjunct to chemotherapy is a possible treatment and might be appropriate for patients who require ocular treatment only.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2006

Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin for subfoveal choroidal neovascularization secondary to pathologic myopia: long-term study.

PURPOSE: To assess the safety and effectiveness of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin for subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to pathologic myopia (PM). METHODS: Sixty-two patients (62 eyes) with PM underwent PDT according to the guidelines of the Verteporfin in Photodynamic Therapy Study. Clinical evaluations performed at all study visits included measurement of best-corrected Snellen visual acuity, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, and fundus fluorescein angiography. Patients were followed up at 1 month and 3 months after treatment and thereafter at 3-month intervals. RESULTS: The final visual acuity of the study patients, after a median follow-up of 31 months, improved by >or=1 Snellen lines in 8 patients (13%), deteriorated in 20 (32%), and remained stable in 34 (55%). The baseline visual acuity was similar in the various study groups. The final mean visual acuity in group A (55 years of age or younger) was 20/80 and significantly (P=0.006) better than that (20/138) in group B (older than 55 years of age). The mean final visual acuity in eyes with higher refractive error at baseline (greater than -17 diopters) was significantly better (P=0.014) than that in eyes with lower refractive error (-6 to -10 diopters). CNV size did not affect visual outcomes. CONCLUSION: PDT preserves vision in patients with CNV associated with PM. Younger patients and eyes with higher refractive error appear more likely to benefit from PDT with verteporfin.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Outcome of choroidal neovascularization in angioid streaks after photodynamic therapy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the visual and anatomic outcomes of photodynamic therapy for choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in patients with angioid streaks. METHODS: The authors retrospectively evaluated 40 consecutive patients (48 eyes) with visual acuity of 20/200 or greater who were treated at 6 referral centers for CNV associated with angioid streaks. Main outcome measures were visual acuity, greatest linear diameter of the lesion, and, in patients with nonsubfoveal CNV, distance from the foveola. RESULTS: Of 34 eyes with subfoveal CNV, 21 were followed up for at least 12 months (range, 5-33 months). Median visual acuity was 20/50 at baseline and 20/120 at the final examination. The 12-month estimate of the percentage of eyes with vision loss of fewer than 3 lines was 68% (95% confidence interval, 50%-85%) by using survival analysis, whereas eyes with no increase in the greatest linear diameter were 45% (95% confidence interval, 27%-62%). Fourteen eyes had extrafoveal (n = 11) or juxtafoveal (n = 3) CNV, 12 of which were followed up for at least 10 months (range, 4-36 months). Visual acuity was 20/40 or greater in all eyes with extrafoveal lesions at baseline and in 5 of 12 eyes at the last examination, when 3 cases of CNV had become subfoveal. At baseline, visual acuity was low in two eyes with juxtafoveal CNV and nearly normal in the third. It remained substantially stable at the end of follow-up (range, 10-36 months), when two lesions were subfoveal. CONCLUSIONS: Most of our patients had good baseline visual function and, thus, were at high risk for losing vision because of the poor prognosis of CNV in angioid streaks. Because most had no or limited vision loss after 1 year, the authors suggest that photodynamic therapy can be used to try to limit or delay visual damage caused by this aggressive disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Peripapillary detachment in pathologic myopia.

OBJECTIVE: To describe peripapillary detachment in pathologic myopia (PDPM), a newly recognized fundus lesion. DESIGN: Retrospective medical record review. METHODS: We evaluated a series of myopic eyes that had a yellow-orange elevation of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium at the inferior border of the myopic conus. RESULTS: Twenty eyes of 15 patients were identified during a 17-year period to have characteristic findings of PDPM. The mean age of the patients was 58 years. They were followed up for an average of 6 years. The mean spherical equivalent correction was -11.00 diopters (D) (range, -6.00 to -16.00 D). The mean axial length was 27.4 mm (range, 25.3-28.9 mm). In each case, ophthalmic coherence tomographic examination showed a localized detachment of the retinal pigment epithelium and retina corresponding to the PDPM lesion. During the follow-up period, the lesion remained stable in all cases except for 1. No apparent negative effect on visual function was noted. CONCLUSIONS: Peripapillary detachment in pathologic myopia is an asymptomatic, yellow-orange peripapillary detachment of the retinal pigment epithelium and retina in pathologic myopia. Recognition of this lesion is important to distinguish it from other fundus pathologic conditions, such as tumors or choroidal neovascularization, which require further investigation and treatment.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Transient visual loss after amyl Isobutyl nitrite abuse.

PURPOSE: To report retinal alterations after Isobutyl nitrite (popper) inhalation. METHODS: Case Report. RESULTS: A 30-year-old man presented a sudden visual decrease following the use of Isobutyl nitrite (popper) while he was at a discotheque. His visual acuity (VA) was 20/50 in the right eye (RE) and 20/63 in the left eye (LE). Ophthalmoscopy revealed symmetric alteration of the foveal reflex with a small yellowish-white spot in the foveal area, much more evident in the RE. Fluorescein angiography and OCT were normal. Visual field showed a mild reduction of central differential light sensitivity. A progressive recovery was noted and at one month's follow-up VA was 20/25 in OU with very faint yellowish-white spots. CONCLUSIONS: The inhalation of drugs as "popper" may cause a visual loss by unclear mechanisms.

Adult↗