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Romanian Journal of Internal Medicine =... Mar 2024Optic perineuritis is the inflammation of the optic nerve sheath. This affliction can lead to visual field impairment and other signs and symptoms related to the orbital... (Review)
Review
Optic perineuritis is the inflammation of the optic nerve sheath. This affliction can lead to visual field impairment and other signs and symptoms related to the orbital space, such as pain, disc edema, ophthalmoplegia, proptosis. However, not all patients present with such suggestive symptoms, requiring a thorough assessment. We report the case of a young male admitted to our hospital for recurrent episodes of monocular blindness. Amaurosis fugax is a well-known presentation of transient ischemic attacks (TIA) and it was ruled out. Gadolinium-enhanced MRI revealed a typical aspect of optic perineuritis. It was mandatory to consider all possible causes of secondary optic perineuritis as they all represent serious clinical conditions, even if the idiopathic form is more frequent. The clinical and paraclinical evaluation of the patient excluded an underlying disease and primary optic perineuritis was diagnosed. Corticosteroid therapy is usually curative and a course of methylprednisolone was initiated for our patient with good outcome. However, response to treatment is not diagnostic as both primary and secondary optic perineuritis are normally responsive, hence thorough differential diagnosis is necessary.
Topics: Humans; Male; Amaurosis Fugax; Gadolinium; Methylprednisolone; Inflammation; Magnetic Resonance Imaging
PubMed: 37906620
DOI: 10.2478/rjim-2023-0026 -
Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2023Predicting stroke risk in patients with carotid artery stenosis (CS) remains challenging. Circulating biomarkers seem to provide improvements with respect to risk...
Predicting stroke risk in patients with carotid artery stenosis (CS) remains challenging. Circulating biomarkers seem to provide improvements with respect to risk stratification. Study patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy were categorized into four groups according to symptomatology and compared as follows: symptomatic with asymptomatic patients; and asymptomatic patients including amaurosis fugax (AF) (asymptomatic + AF group) with patients with a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or brain stroke (BS) (hemispheric brain stroke group). Carotid specimens were histologically analyzed and classified based on the American Heart Classification (AHA) standard. As a marker of OS, the plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured. Comparisons of MDA plasma levels between groups were analyzed. : In total, 35 patients were included in the study. There were 22 (63%) patients in the asymptomatic group and 13 (37%) in the symptomatic group. Atheromatous plaque ( 0.03) and old hemorrhage ( 0.05), fibrous plaque ( 0.04), myxoid changes ( 0.02), plaques without hemorrhage ( 0.04), significant neovascularization ( 0.04) and AHA classification ( 0.006) had significant correlations with clinical presentation. There were 26 (74%) patients in the asymptomatic group and 9 (26%) in the hemispheric brain stroke group. Atheromatous plaque ( 0.02), old hemorrhage ( 0.05) and plaques without neovascularization ( 0.02), fibrous plaque ( 0.03), plaques without hemorrhage ( 0.02) and AHA classification ( 0.01) had significant correlations with clinical presentation. There was no significant difference between symptomatic and asymptomatic groups with respect to MDA plasma levels ( = 0.232). A significant difference was observed when MDA plasma levels were compared to asymptomatic + AF and the hemispheric stroke group ( = 0.002). : MDA plasma level correlates with the risk of hemispheric stroke (TIA or BS) and is a reliable marker of plaque vulnerability in carotid artery stenosis.
PubMed: 36830063
DOI: 10.3390/antiox12020506 -
Journal of Vascular Surgery Dec 2005Atherosclerotic carotid artery disease is responsible for a variety of clinical presentations, ranging from asymptomatic to cerebral ischemic events. Considering the... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Carotid atherosclerotic plaques in patients with transient ischemic attacks and stroke have unstable characteristics compared with plaques in asymptomatic and amaurosis fugax patients.
INTRODUCTION
Atherosclerotic carotid artery disease is responsible for a variety of clinical presentations, ranging from asymptomatic to cerebral ischemic events. Considering the upcoming use of noninvasive imaging modalities, plaque characteristics could serve as a marker in the selection of patients eligible for carotid endarterectomy (CEA). This would be more likely if characteristics corresponded with clinical manifestations and were predictive of future events. In this study, we hypothesized that plaque characteristics correlate with the clinical presentation of carotid artery disease.
METHODS
We included 404 patients undergoing a carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Ipsilateral clinical symptoms and duplex measurements were recorded. Patients could be asymptomatic (23.5%) or symptomatic with stroke (26.5%), transient ischemic attack (TIA) (36.1%), or amaurosis fugax (AFX) (13.9%). Plaques were stained and semi-quantitatively analyzed for the presence of macrophages, smooth muscle cells, collagen, calcifications, and thrombus. Plaques were categorized in three phenotypes by their overall presentation and the amount of fat. In addition, plaque matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity and cytokines expressions were measured.
RESULTS
Fibrous, fibro-atheromatous, and atheromatous plaques were observed in 30.2%, 35.6%, and 34.2%, respectively. Atheromatous plaques were more prevalent in patients with stroke and TIA compared with asymptomatic patients or patients with AFX (P = .001). Collagen staining was less evident in patients with TIA and stroke compared with asymptomatic patients or patients with AFX (P < .001). Plaques of patients with TIA and stroke showed significantly higher activity levels of MMP-8 and MMP-9 and higher levels of interleukin-8 compared with asymptomatic and AFX patients.
CONCLUSION
Plaque phenotype of patients with TIA is comparable to that of patients with stroke; whereas, the plaque phenotype of patients with AFX resembles the plaque phenotype of asymptomatic patients. Follow-up studies should be encouraged to determine whether plaque characteristics visualized by imaging techniques might help to identify patients most likely to benefit from CEA.
Topics: Aged; Amaurosis Fugax; Angiography; Biomarkers; Carotid Artery Diseases; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Interleukin-8; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Matrix Metalloproteinase 8; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index; Stroke; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Ultrasonography, Doppler
PubMed: 16376194
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvs.2005.08.009 -
British Medical Journal Aug 1977A prospective study of 80 patients presenting with amaurosis fugax was performed in an attempt to relate clinical features to angiographic findings in the internal...
A prospective study of 80 patients presenting with amaurosis fugax was performed in an attempt to relate clinical features to angiographic findings in the internal carotid artery. Carotid bruit, transient cerebral ischaemic attacks, hypertension, and claudication were associated with a high prevalence of angiographic abnormality. Every patient who showed all these features had an operable lesion, as did 88% of those who had three features. In patients over 50 years of age carotid stenosis and atheromatous ulceration were occasionally found in the absence of bruit and transient cerebral ischaemia, but only one patient aged under 50 had an operable lesion and no associated features. Clinical features were therefore valuable in predicting the outcome of angiography, but it seems prudent to restrict angiography to patients aged over 50, who are most likely to benefit from surgery on the carotid artery.
Topics: Age Factors; Blindness; Carotid Artery Diseases; Carotid Artery, Internal; Humans; Ischemic Attack, Transient; London; Prospective Studies; Radiography
PubMed: 890327
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.2.6084.435 -
Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism Oct 2022To investigate the risk of ocular manifestations leading to hospital contacts among patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).
OBJECTIVES
To investigate the risk of ocular manifestations leading to hospital contacts among patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).
METHODS
A Danish, nationwide, register-based cohort study including 14,574 GCA patients diagnosed 1996-2018 and 145,740 general population referents, matched on sex and date of birth. Cumulative incidence proportions (CIPs) and relative risks (RRs) of ocular manifestations with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a pseudo-observation approach.
RESULTS
A total of 1026/14,574 (7.0%) GCA patients were registered with ocular manifestations within ±1 year of the diagnosis; 392/1026 (38%) being before and 634/1026 (62%) after the GCA diagnosis, and 744/1026 (73%) were registered within ±1 month of the diagnosis. The diagnoses were 336/1026 (33%) retinal vascular occlusions, 300/1026 (29%) disorders of the optic nerve, 177/1026 (17%) visual impairment, 90/1026 (9%) diplopia, and 123/1026 (12%) amaurosis fugax. The CIP for ocular manifestations among GCA patients after 3, 6, and 12 months following the diagnosis were 4.0% (95% CI: 3.6-4.3), 4.2% (95% CI: 3.9-4.6), and 4.6% (95% CI: 4.2-4.9). The 1-year RR of ocular manifestations among GCA patients was 28.0 (95% CI: 24.0-32.7), with age above 70 years, male sex, and a positive temporal artery biopsy being risk factors. Treatment with low-dose aspirin was not associated with a reduced 1-year RR of incident ocular manifestations.
CONCLUSIONS
In GCA, most cases of ocular manifestations leading to hospital contacts occur close to the time of diagnosis, with over one-third of cases occurring before the diagnosis, emphasizing the need for early recognition and treatment.
Topics: Aged; Biopsy; Cohort Studies; Giant Cell Arteritis; Hospitals; Humans; Incidence; Male; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 35878473
DOI: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2022.152071 -
Stroke Aug 2019Background and Purpose- The clinical utility of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in evaluating carotid artery plaque vulnerability remains unclear. Two tracers... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Background and Purpose- The clinical utility of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in evaluating carotid artery plaque vulnerability remains unclear. Two tracers of recent interest for carotid plaque imaging are F-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) and F-sodium fluoride (F-NaF). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the association between carotid artery F-FDG or F-NaF uptake and recent or future cerebral ischemic events. Methods- A systematic review of Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, and the Cochrane library was conducted from inception to December 2017 for articles evaluating PET tracer uptake in recently symptomatic versus asymptomatic carotid arteries, and articles evaluating carotid uptake in relation to future ischemic events. Cerebral ischemic events were defined as ipsilateral strokes, transient ischemic attacks, or amaurosis fugax. We quantitatively pooled studies by a random-effects model when 3 or more studies were amenable for analysis. We assessed the standardized mean difference between tracer uptake in the symptomatic versus asymptomatic carotid artery using Cohen's d metric. Results- After screening 4144 unique articles, 13 prospective cohort studies assessing carotid artery F-FDG uptake in patients with recent cerebral ischemia were eligible for review. Eleven cohorts of 290 subjects scanned with F-FDG were eligible for meta-analysis. We found that carotid arteries ipsilateral to recent ischemic events had significantly higher F-FDG uptake than asymptomatic arteries (Cohen's d =0.492; CI=0.130-0.855; P=0.008) as well as significant heterogeneity (Cochran's Q =31.5; P=0.0005; I=68.3%). Meta-regression was not performed due to the limited number of studies in the analysis. Only 2 studies investigating F-NaF PET imaging, and another 2 articles investigating ischemic event recurrence were found. Conclusions- Recent ipsilateral cerebral ischemia may be associated with increased carotid F-FDG uptake on PET imaging regardless of degree of carotid stenosis, although significant heterogeneity was found, and these results should be interpreted with caution. Emerging evidence suggests a similar association may be present with F-NaF plaque uptake. More studies are warranted to provide definitive conclusions on the utility of F-FDG or F-NaF in carotid plaque evaluation before investigating carotid PET as a diagnostic tool for cerebral ischemic events.
Topics: Brain Ischemia; Carotid Stenosis; Humans; Neuroimaging; Plaque, Atherosclerotic; Positron-Emission Tomography
PubMed: 31272325
DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.118.023987 -
Journal of Vascular Surgery Jan 2000In patients with carotid bifurcation disease, the risk of stroke mainly depends on the severity of the stenosis, the presenting hemispheric symptom, and, as recently...
PURPOSE
In patients with carotid bifurcation disease, the risk of stroke mainly depends on the severity of the stenosis, the presenting hemispheric symptom, and, as recently suggested, on plaque echodensity. We tested the hypothesis that asymptomatic carotid plaques and plaques of patients who present with different hemispheric symptoms are related to different plaque structure in terms of echodensity and the degree of stenosis.
METHODS
Two hundred sixty-four patients with 295 carotid bifurcation plaques (146 symptomatic, 149 asymptomatic) causing more than 50% stenosis were examined with duplex scanning. Thirty-six plaques were associated with amaurosis fugax (AF), 68 plaques were associated with transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), and 42 plaques were associated with stroke. B-mode images were digitized and normalized using linear scaling and two reference points, blood and adventitia. The gray scale median (GSM) of blood was set to 0, and the GSM of the adventitia was set to 190 (gray scale range, black = 0; white = 255). The GSM of the plaque in the normalized image was used as the objective measurement of echodensity.
RESULTS
The mean GSM and the mean degree of stenosis, with 95% confidence intervals, for plaques associated with hemispheric symptoms were 13.3 (10.6 to 16) and 80.5 (78.3 to 82.7), respectively; and for asymptomatic plaques, the mean GSM and the mean degree of stenosis were 30.5 (26.2 to 34.7) and 72. 2 (69.8 to 74.5), respectively. Furthermore, in plaques related to AF, the mean GSM and the mean degree of stenosis were 7.4 (1.9 to 12. 9) and 85.6 (82 to 89.2), respectively; in those related to TIA, the mean GSM and the mean degree of stenosis were 14.9 (11.2 to 18.6) and 79.3 (76.1 to 82.4), respectively; and in those related to stroke, the mean GSM and the mean degree of stenosis were 15.8 (10.2 to 21.3) and 78.1 (73.4 to 82.8), respectively.
CONCLUSION
Plaques associated with hemispheric symptoms are more hypoechoic and more stenotic than those associated with no symptoms. Plaques associated with AF are more hypoechoic and more stenotic than those associated with TIA or stroke or those without symptoms. Plaques causing TIA and stroke have the same echodensity and the same degree of stenosis. These findings confirm previous suggestions that hypoechoic plaques are more likely to be symptomatic than hyperechoic ones. They support the hypothesis that the pathophysiologic mechanism for AF is different from that for TIA and stroke.
Topics: Amaurosis Fugax; Bias; Carotid Artery Diseases; Carotid Stenosis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Image Enhancement; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Male; Reproducibility of Results; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index; Single-Blind Method; Stroke; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex
PubMed: 10642707
DOI: 10.1016/s0741-5214(00)70066-8 -
Journal of Ultrasonography 2019The aim of this article was to present the possibilities of use and application of color-coded Doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of various diseases of the...
The aim of this article was to present the possibilities of use and application of color-coded Doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of various diseases of the eyeball and orbit which result from vascular disorders. Color-coded Doppler ultrasonography is recommended for the assessment of blood flow velocity in the retrobulbar arteries. That is why the article contains current recommendations for Doppler imaging in ophthalmology. The paper provides detailed recommendations for patient's preparation for the examination, presents the scanning technique and safety of the examination, and lists ophthalmological diseases of vascular origin for which color-coded Doppler ultrasonography can be applied. Furthermore, the article also presents other techniques applied in clinical practice for the assessment of blood flow or imaging of vasculature of a given eyeball structure, inter alia: power Doppler ultrasonography, 3D and 4D ultrasonography, magnetic resonance angiography, spiral computer tomography, transcranial ultrasonography and modern microvascular imaging. The authors emphasize the usefulness of color-coded Doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of diseases which result from blood flow disorders within the eyeball, such as amaurosis fugax, ocular ischemic syndrome, insufficiency in vessels supplying the carotid and vertebral arteries, posterior ischemic optic neuropathy, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, vascular vision disorders, vascular malformations, such as arteriovenous fistula, orbital varices, systemic connective tissue diseases in retinopathy of prematurity, diabetes, thyroid disorders or strabismus. The application of color-coded Doppler ultrasonography is especially important in the assessment of the vasculature of intrabulbar tumorous lesions and in the differential diagnosis of intrabulbar tumors. The aim of this article was to present the possibilities of use and application of color-coded Doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of various diseases of the eyeball and orbit which result from vascular disorders. Color-coded Doppler ultrasonography is recommended for the assessment of blood flow velocity in the retrobulbar arteries. That is why the article contains current recommendations for Doppler imaging in ophthalmology. The paper provides detailed recommendations for patient’s preparation for the examination, presents the scanning technique and safety of the examination, and lists ophthalmological diseases of vascular origin for which color-coded Doppler ultrasonography can be applied. Furthermore, the article also presents other techniques applied in clinical practice for the assessment of blood flow or imaging of vasculature of a given eyeball structure, inter alia: power Doppler ultrasonography, 3D and 4D ultrasonography, magnetic resonance angiography, spiral computer tomography, transcranial ultrasonography and modern microvascular imaging. The authors emphasize the usefulness of color-coded Doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of diseases which result from blood flow disorders within the eyeball, such as amaurosis fugax, ocular ischemic syndrome, insufficiency in vessels supplying the carotid and vertebral arteries, posterior ischemic optic neuropathy, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, vascular vision disorders, vascular malformations, such as arteriovenous fistula, orbital varices, systemic connective tissue diseases in retinopathy of prematurity, diabetes, thyroid disorders or strabismus. The application of color-coded Doppler ultrasonography is especially important in the assessment of the vasculature of intrabulbar tumorous lesions and in the differential diagnosis of intrabulbar tumors.
PubMed: 31355585
DOI: 10.15557/JoU.2019.0019 -
International Medical Case Reports... 2016A 68-year-old female with no significant past medical history presented with loss of vision in the lower half of her left eye that lasted <5 minutes. No abnormalities...
A 68-year-old female with no significant past medical history presented with loss of vision in the lower half of her left eye that lasted <5 minutes. No abnormalities were found on ocular or physical exam. Computed tomography angiography and carotid ultrasound were performed, which confirmed the diagnosis as amaurosis fugax with two abnormalities leading to the transient retinal vessel occlusion. First, it was found that the patient has a congenital vascular anomaly, which consisted most notably of a right-sided aortic arch. This vascular anomaly also consisted of abnormal branching of the left subclavian and common carotid arteries, predisposing the patient to turbulent blood flow and increased risk of the formation of an atherosclerotic plaque at the origin of the common carotid artery. This is an abnormal location for a plaque leading to amaurosis fugax compared to the most common location at the carotid bifurcation. Endarterectomy was not performed because of the difficult location of the plaque and tortuosity of the vessel. Rather, medical intervention with antiplatelet and lipid-lowering therapy was initiated to lower the risk of future retinal or cerebral thromboembolic events.
PubMed: 27445507
DOI: 10.2147/IMCRJ.S106627 -
European Journal of Vascular and... Feb 2015The timing of CEA for symptomatic internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis remains a matter of controversy. Recent registry data showed a significantly increased risk,... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
OBJECTIVES
The timing of CEA for symptomatic internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis remains a matter of controversy. Recent registry data showed a significantly increased risk, especially in the very early days after the onset of symptoms. In this study the outcome of CEA in the hyperacute phase has been investigated.
METHODS
The outcome of CEA for symptomatic ICA stenosis between January 2004 and December 2013 has been retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into four timing groups: surgery within 0 and 2 days, between 3 and 7 days, 8 and 14 days, and thereafter. The post-operative 30 day stroke and death rates were assessed.
RESULTS
A total of 761 symptomatic patients (40.1% with transient ischemic attack [TIA], 21.3% with amaurosis fugax, and 38.6% with ischemic stroke) were included, with an overall peri-operative stroke and death rate of 3.3%. A stroke and death rate of 4.4% (9/206) for surgery within 0 and 2 days, 1.8% (4/219) between 3 and 7 days, 4.4% (6/136) between 8 and 14 days, and 2.5% (5/200) in the period thereafter (p = .25 for the difference between the groups) was observed. The timing of surgery did not influence the peri-operative outcome in a multivariate regression analysis (OR 0.93 [0.63-1.36], p = .71).
CONCLUSIONS
These data show that very urgent surgery in symptomatic patients can be performed without increased procedural risk. Given the fact that ruptured plaques with neurological symptoms carry the highest risk of a recurrent ischemic event in the first 2 days, treating patients as soon as possible to offer the highest benefit in stroke prevention is recommended.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Amaurosis Fugax; Carotid Artery, Internal; Carotid Stenosis; Chi-Square Distribution; Endarterectomy, Carotid; Female; Humans; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Odds Ratio; Retrospective Studies; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Stroke; Time Factors; Time-to-Treatment; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 25445726
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2014.09.006