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American Journal of Ophthalmology Dec 2020To investigate whether the extent of Bruch's membrane calcification is associated with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and macular atrophy in patients with...
PURPOSE
To investigate whether the extent of Bruch's membrane calcification is associated with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and macular atrophy in patients with pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) by using the extent of angioid streaks as a surrogate marker for the degree of Bruch's membrane calcification.
DESIGN
Retrospective cross-sectional study.
METHODS
We investigated 301 patients with PXE (median age, 52 years; range, 9-79 years) in a tertiary referral center. For both eyes, we graded the extent of angioid streaks, that is, their distance from the optic disc, into 5 groups. Imaging was systematically assessed for signs of CNV and macular atrophy. Associations between the extent of angioid streaks and CNV or macular atrophy were investigated using regression analysis.
RESULTS
CNV was present in 148 patients (49%) and retinal atrophy in 71 patients (24%). The extent of angioid streaks was associated with older age (P for trend = 1.92 × 10) and a higher prevalence of CNV and/or macular atrophy (P for trend = 4.22 × 10 and P for trend = 5.17 × 10, respectively). In addition, the extent of angioid streaks was associated with the presence of CNV when adjusted for age and sex (odds ratio, 1.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-2.9) and with more severe macular atrophy (proportional odds ratio, 2.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-3.6).
CONCLUSIONS
In patients with PXE, longer angioid streaks are associated with an increased risk of CNV and macular atrophy, even after adjustment for age. These findings are relevant when counseling PXE patients on their visual prognosis.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Angioid Streaks; Bruch Membrane; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Fluorescein Angiography; Fundus Oculi; Humans; Macular Degeneration; Male; Middle Aged; Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum; Retina; Retrospective Studies; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Visual Acuity; Young Adult
PubMed: 32702361
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajo.2020.07.022 -
Ophthalmology Science Mar 2021To describe the natural history of Bruch's membrane (BM) calcification in patients with pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE).
PURPOSE
To describe the natural history of Bruch's membrane (BM) calcification in patients with pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE).
DESIGN
Retrospective cohort study.
PARTICIPANTS
Both eyes of 120 PXE patients younger than 50 years, 78 of whom had follow-up imaging after more than 1 year.
METHODS
All patients underwent multimodal imaging, including color fundus photography, near-infrared reflectance (NIR) imaging, and late phase indocyanine green angiography (ICGA). We determined the distance from the optic disc to the central and temporal border of peau d'orange on NIR, expressed in horizontal optic disc diameter (ODD). The length of the longest angioid streak was classified into 5 zones.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Age-specific changes of peau d'orange, angioid streaks, and ICGA hypofluorescence as surrogate markers for the extent of BM calcification.
RESULTS
In cross-sectional analysis, longer angioid streaks were associated with increasing age ( < 0.001 for trend). The temporal border of peau d'orange showed a weak association with increasing age (β = 0.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.00-0.04), whereas the central border showed a strong association (β = 0.12; 95% CI, 0.09-0.15). Longitudinal analysis revealed a median shift of the central border to the periphery of 0.08 ODD per year (interquartile range [IQR], 0.00-0.17; < 0.001). This shift was more pronounced in patients younger than 20 years (0.12 ODD per year [IQR, 0.08-0.28]) than in patients older than 40 years (0.07 ODD per year [IQR, -0.05 to 0.15]). The temporal border did not shift during follow-up ( = 0.69). New or growing angioid streaks were detected in 39 of 156 eyes (25%). The hypofluorescent area on ICGA was visible only in the fourth or fifth decade and correlated with longer angioid streaks.
CONCLUSIONS
In PXE patients, the speckled BM calcification slowly confluences during life. The location of the temporal border of peau d'orange remains rather constant, whereas the central border shifts to the periphery. This suggests the presence of a predetermined area for BM calcification. A larger ICGA hypofluorescent area correlates with older age and longer angioid streaks, which implies that it depends on the degree of BM calcification.
PubMed: 37487136
DOI: 10.1016/j.xops.2020.100001 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Aug 2021Heritable Disorders of Connective Tissue (HDCTs) are syndromes that disrupt connective tissue integrity. They include Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), Ehlers Danlos... (Review)
Review
Heritable Disorders of Connective Tissue (HDCTs) are syndromes that disrupt connective tissue integrity. They include Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Marfan Syndrome (MFS), Loeys-Dietz Syndrome (LDS), Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), Stickler Syndrome (STL), Wagner Syndrome, and Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum (PXE). Because many patients with HDCTs have ocular symptoms, commonly myopia, they will often present to the clinic seeking refractive surgery. Currently, corrective measures are limited, as the FDA contraindicates laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) in EDS and discourages the procedure in OI and MFS due to a theoretically increased risk of post-LASIK ectasia, poor wound healing, poor refractive predictability, underlying keratoconus, and globe rupture. While these disorders present with a wide range of ocular manifestations that are associated with an increased risk of post-LASIK complications (e.g., thinned corneas, ocular fragility, keratoconus, glaucoma, ectopia lentis, retinal detachment, angioid streaks, and ocular surface disease), their occurrence and severity are highly variable among patients. Therefore, an HDCT diagnosis should not warrant an immediate disqualification for refractive surgery. Patients with minimal ocular manifestations can consider LASIK. In contrast, those with preoperative signs of corneal thinning and ocular fragility may find the combination of collagen cross-linking (CXL) with either photorefractive keratotomy (PRK), small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) or a phakic intraocular lens (pIOL) implant to be more suitable options. However, evidence of refractive surgery performed on patients with HDCTs is limited, and surgeons must fully inform patients of the unknown risks and complications before proceeding. This paper serves as a guideline for future studies to evaluate refractive surgery outcomes in patients with HDCTs.
PubMed: 34501218
DOI: 10.3390/jcm10173769 -
Journal of Ophthalmic & Vision Research 2022
PubMed: 35194508
DOI: 10.18502/jovr.v17i1.10183 -
Ophthalmology and Therapy Oct 2023To describe subclinical angioid streaks (AS) as a frequent, peculiar age-related macular degeneration (AMD) phenotype, comparing features of eyes with subclinical AS...
INTRODUCTION
To describe subclinical angioid streaks (AS) as a frequent, peculiar age-related macular degeneration (AMD) phenotype, comparing features of eyes with subclinical AS with those of eyes with AMD without AS.
METHODS
This was a retrospective, observational study. Among a patient cohort with AMD, we selected patients without known causes for AS whose eyes showed signs of angioid streaks (AS) on structural optical coherence tomography (OCT) but not on fundus examination. Selected OCT features of AS were Bruch's membrane (BM) breaks and large BM dehiscences.
RESULTS
Among 543 eyes of 274 patients with AMD (mean ± standard deviation: 82 ± 7 years), 73 eyes of 46 patients (81 ± 7 years; p = 0.432) showed AS features on OCT (OCT AS) that were not visible on fundus examination. Estimated prevalence of subclinical age-related AS was 13.4% (95% confidence interval 10.3-16.3%) in this AMD population. Fifty-three eyes (73%) with AS features were affected by peripapillary atrophy, often with a "petaloid-like" pattern, similar to typical features of AS disease. Almost all cases (97%) presented reticular pseudodrusen (RPD), with (41%) or without (59%) drusen showing a significant difference in RPD prevalence in OCT AS eyes in comparison to AMD eyes without subclinical AS using generalized estimating equations (P < 0.001). Among the 73 subclinical AS cases, 71 were affected by late AMD (57 with macular neovascularization, 14 with geographic atrophy), showing a more advanced AMD stage in comparison with AMD eyes without subclinical AS (P < 0.001). The following OCT features were disclosed: BM breaks in 100% of cases and BM dehiscences in 37%.
CONCLUSIONS
Subclinical AS in eyes with AMD is a peculiar phenotype of the disease, with features suggesting a primary involvement of Bruch's membrane and clinical similarities with mild, late-onset pseudoxanthoma elasticum.
PubMed: 37542615
DOI: 10.1007/s40123-023-00778-x -
Vision (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2024: Angioid streaks (ASs) are a rare retinal condition and compromise visual acuity when complicated with choroidal neovascularization (CNV). They represent crack-like... (Review)
Review
: Angioid streaks (ASs) are a rare retinal condition and compromise visual acuity when complicated with choroidal neovascularization (CNV). They represent crack-like dehiscences at the level of the Bruch's membrane. This objective narrative review aims to provide an overview of pathophysiology, current treatment modalities, and future perspectives on this condition. : A literature search was performed using "PubMed", "Web of Science", "Scopus", "ScienceDirect", "Google Scholar", "medRxiv", and "bioRxiv." : ASs may be idiopathic, but they are also associated with systemic conditions, such as pseudoxanthoma elasticum, hereditary hemoglobinopathies, or Paget's disease. Currently, the main treatment is the use of anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (anti-VEGF) to treat secondary CNV, which is the major complication observed in this condition. If CNV is detected and treated promptly, patients with ASs have a good chance of maintaining functional vision. Other treatment modalities have been tried but have shown limited benefit and, therefore, have not managed to be more widely accepted. In summary, although there is no definitive cure yet, the use of anti-VEGF treatment for secondary CNV has provided the opportunity to maintain functional vision in individuals with AS, provided that CNV is detected and treated early.
PubMed: 38535759
DOI: 10.3390/vision8010010 -
Ophthalmology and Therapy Aug 2023In current clinical practice, several optical coherence tomography (OCT) biomarkers have been proposed for the assessment of severity and prognosis of different retinal...
INTRODUCTION
In current clinical practice, several optical coherence tomography (OCT) biomarkers have been proposed for the assessment of severity and prognosis of different retinal diseases. Subretinal pseudocysts are subretinal cystoid spaces with hyperreflective borders and only a few single cases have been reported thus far. The aim of the study was to characterize and investigate this novel OCT finding, exploring its clinical outcome.
METHODS
Patients were evaluated retrospectively across different centers. The inclusion criterion was the presence of subretinal cystoid space on OCT scans, regardless of concurrent retinal diseases. Baseline examination was set as the first time the subretinal pseudocyst was identified by OCT. Medical and ophthalmological histories were collected at baseline. OCT and OCT-angiography were performed at baseline and at each follow-up examination.
RESULTS
Twenty-eight eyes were included in the study and 31 subretinal pseudocysts were characterized. Out of 28 eyes, 16 were diagnosed with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), 7 with central serous chorioretinopathy, 4 with diabetic retinopathy, and 1 with angioid streaks. Subretinal and intraretinal fluid were present in 25 and 13 eyes, respectively. Mean distance of the subretinal pseudocyst from the fovea was 686 µm. The diameter of the pseudocyst was positively associated with the height of the subretinal fluid (r = 0.46; p = 0.018) and central macular thickness (r = 0.612; p = 0.001). At follow-up, subretinal pseudocysts disappeared in most of the reimaged eyes (16 out of 17). Of these, two patients presented retinal atrophy at baseline examination and eight patients (47%) developed retinal atrophy at follow-up. Conversely, seven eyes (41%) did not develop retinal atrophy.
CONCLUSION
Subretinal pseudocysts are precarious OCT findings, usually disclosed in a context of subretinal fluid, and are probably transient alterations within the photoreceptor outer segments and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer. Despite their nature, subretinal pseudocysts have been associated with photoreceptor loss and incomplete RPE definition.
PubMed: 37198519
DOI: 10.1007/s40123-023-00727-8 -
The Pan African Medical Journal 2014
Topics: Adult; Angioid Streaks; Fluorescein Angiography; Humans; Male
PubMed: 24932324
DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2014.17.13.3609 -
Journal of Internal Medicine May 2021Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a recessive disorder involving skin, eyes and arteries, mainly caused by ABCC6 pathogenic variants. However, almost one fifth of...
PURPOSE
Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a recessive disorder involving skin, eyes and arteries, mainly caused by ABCC6 pathogenic variants. However, almost one fifth of patients remain genetically unsolved despite extensive genetic screening of ABCC6, as illustrated in a large French PXE series of 220 cases. We searched for new PXE gene(s) to solve the ABCC6-negative patients.
METHODS
First, family-based exome sequencing was performed, in one ABCC6-negative PXE patient with additional neurological features, and her relatives. CYP2U1, involved in hereditary spastic paraplegia type 56 (SPG56), was selected based on this complex phenotype, and the presence of two candidate variants. Second, CYP2U1 sequencing was performed in a retrospective series of 46 additional ABCC6-negative PXE probands. Third, six additional SPG56 patients were evaluated for PXE skin and eye phenotype. Additionally, plasma pyrophosphate dosage and functional analyses were performed in some of these patients.
RESULTS
6.4% of ABCC6-negative PXE patients (n = 3) harboured biallelic pathogenic variants in CYP2U1. PXE skin lesions with histological confirmation, eye lesions including maculopathy or angioid streaks, and various neurological symptoms were present. CYP2U1 missense variants were confirmed to impair protein function. Plasma pyrophosphate levels were normal. Two SPG56 patients (33%) presented some phenotypic overlap with PXE.
CONCLUSION
CYP2U1 pathogenic variants are found in unsolved PXE patients with neurological findings, including spastic paraplegia, expanding the SPG56 phenotype and highlighting its overlap with PXE. The pathophysiology of ABCC6 and CYP2U1 should be explored to explain their respective role and potential interaction in ectopic mineralization.
Topics: Calcinosis; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Cytochrome P450 Family 2; Eye; HEK293 Cells; Humans; Multidrug Resistance-Associated Proteins; Mutation, Missense; Phenotype; Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum; Retrospective Studies; Skin; Spastic Paraplegia, Hereditary
PubMed: 33107650
DOI: 10.1111/joim.13193 -
Arquivos Brasileiros de Oftalmologia 2023
Topics: Humans; Angioid Streaks; Fluorescein Angiography
PubMed: 37132686
DOI: 10.5935/0004-2749.2022-0121