PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Carlevaro

Publications and source records attributed to G Carlevaro.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Surgical removal of subfoveal choroidal neovascular membranes in high myopia.

BACKGROUND: A study was carried out to elucidate the anatomical and functional outcome after surgical excision of subfoveal choroidal neovascular membranes in high myopia. METHODS: Sixty-five patients with high myopia (> or =6 diopters), well-defined subfoveal neovascular membranes on fluorescein angiography and preoperative visual acuity < or =20/100 were selected for surgery. A standardized surgical technique was used in all cases, by a single surgeon. The main outcomes assessed were Snellen visual acuity, surgical retinal pigment epithelium defect and postoperative perfusion of the choriocapillaris. Multifactor analysis of variance and chi-square/Fisher's exact test statistics were used to assess the association between patients' pre- and postoperative characteristics and outcome measures. RESULTS: Follow-up ranged from 6 to 48 months (mean 16 months). Mean postoperative visual acuity (0.18) was significantly better than mean preoperative visual acuity (0.09). Visual acuity improved by at least two lines in 29 eyes (45%) and was unchanged in 24 (37%). Overall, 43 eyes (66%) had visual acuity of 20/200 or better and 15 (23%), 20/60 or better. Predictive factors with a significant effect on final visual acuity were mean visual acuity, preoperative status of retinal pigment epithelium and postoperative perfusion of the choriocapillaris. Postoperative perfusion was detected in 31 (48%) of the total 65 eyes and in 12 (67%) of the 18 eyes with normal retinal pigment epithelium at baseline. The mean postoperative retinal pigment epithelium defect was 4.6 times larger than the original neovascular membrane. In selected patients, SLO macular scotometry showed areas of retained retinal sensitivity within the atrophic scar. CONCLUSION: The natural history of subfoveal neovascularization in high myopia is rarely visually restorative. By contrast, surgical excision of the membranes is feasible and may restore visual acuity in selected patients. This therapeutic approach merits a formal multicenter clinical trial.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Surgical removal of idiopathic, myopic and age-related subfoveal neovascularization.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the functional outcomes of macular surgery for idiopathic, myopic and age-related subfoveal neovascular membranes and looked for preoperative features associated with better final visual acuity (VA). METHODS: We retrospectively studied 61 patients who had undergone macular surgery in our department between October 1992 and September 1994. Follow-up ranged from 5 to 27 months. Of 61 eyes with subfoveal neovascularizations, 6 were idiopathic, 21 had high myopia (-13 D median) and 34 displayed age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Median preoperative VA was 5/200 in AMD, 20/300 in myopia and 20/200 in idiopathic cases. RESULTS: Four of the six eyes with idiopathic subfoveal neovascularization had VA 20/60 or better after a median follow-up of 18 months. Of the 21 eyes with high myopia, 10 (48%) improved and 13 (62%) were 20/200 or greater after a median follow-up of 12 months. Among the 34 eyes with AMD, VA improved in 7 (21%), but only 6 (18%) were 20/200 or better after a median follow-up of 7 months. Overall, complications included five retinal detachments, ten cataracts and an increase in size of the retinal pigment epithelium defect over the neovascular membrane of 2.3 +/- 0.8 times (mean +/- SD) in idiopathic eyes. 5.9 +/- 3.6 times in myopia and 19.5 +/- 12.2 times in AMD. Recurrence rates for idiopathic, myopic and age-related neovascular membranes were 33%, 19% and 18% respectively. Etiology (P = 0.035), initial VA in myopic eyes (P = 0.026) and initial size of the neovascular membranes in AMD (P = 0.025) were preoperative factors with a significant effect on final visual outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical excision of subfoveal neovascular membranes yields different functional results depending on the underlying disease. Severe alteration of the retinal pigment epithelium-Bruch's membrane complex may be responsible for the poor visual outcomes in AMD.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa and Coats'-like disease.

Two patients with retinitis pigmentosa of the dominant type and a Coats'-like syndrome were studied. The aetiology of the Coats'-like syndrome in retinitis pigmentosa is obscure. The principal theories will be reported in this paper. The association between retinitis pigmentosa and Coats'-like disease has been reported many times in a sporadic way (Zamorani, 1956; Morgan and Crawford, 1968). As far as we know this association in more than one member of the same pedigree has been published only in two papers (Schmidt and Faulborn, 1972; Lanier, McCrary and Justice, 1976). Below we describe the case of two brothers suffering from retinitis pigmentosa of the dominant type and Coats'-like syndrome. To our knowledge this is the first report in English of the occurrence in a family of association of retinitis pigmentosa of the dominant type and Coats'-like syndrome which occurred in two brothers of non consanguineous parents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Human platelet monoamine oxidase activity in glaucoma.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO, E.C. 1.4.3.4) activity was determined by spectrophotofluorimetric assay of the reaction product of the artificial substrate kynuramine in platelets from venous blood samples from 50 outpatients with glaucomas and 47 sex- and age-matched controls. No significant differences were found between MAO activity in control subjects and that in subjects with glaucomas grouped according to diagnostic subcategories. Irrespective of ocular disease, women had significantly higher enzyme activity than men. Age-related changes in platelet MAO were inconsistent.

Adult↗