Prevalence and early detection of abdominal aortic aneurysm in pseudoexfoliation syndrome and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma

PURPOSE: The goals of this study were to demonstrate the frequency of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in patients with pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome (PEXS) and PEX glaucoma (PEXG), and to determine whether limited screening for AAA in specific subgroups of patients with PEX is reasonable and justifiable. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study comprised 60 patients with PEXS and 60 with PEXG (examined group), and 60 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and 60 with cataract (control group). Clinical ophthalmic examination included slit-lamp biomicroscopy of the anterior segment and direct slit-lamp gonioscopy (using a Goldmann three-mirror lens) of the anterior chamber angle. All patients underwent routine Color Doppler duplex ultrasonography of the infrarenal aorta and iliac arteries. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between the PEXG group and control group vis-a-vis presence of AAA, which occurred more frequently in patients with greater amounts of angle pigmentation (p < 0.05). Univariate logistic regression analysis indicated statistically significant associations between AAA and PEX (p < 0.01), angle pigmentation (p < 0.05), gender (p < 0.01), diabetes mellitus (DM) (p < 0.05), and arterial hypertension (AHT) (p < 0.01). Multivariate regression analysis, adjusted to gender and age, showed that the most important clinical parameters related to AAA in patients with PEXS and PEXG are gender, presence of PEX, DM, and AHT (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The frequency of AAA is significantly higher in patients with PEXS and PEXG than in patients with POAG or cataract. Restricted screening for AAA in male PEXS patients, who also have elevated degrees of angle pigmentation, arterial hypertension, and DM, is clinically warranted

Anticardiolipin antibodies in patients with Behcet's disease

The aims of this study are to determine anticardiolipin antibodies in patients with Sy Behcet and to determine correlation between the levels of anticardiolipin antibodies in serum in patients with clinic systemic and ocular manifestations. The study was conducted on 11 patients with Behcet disease (group I), and on 11 healthy subjects (group II). Anticardiolipin antibodies –aCL were determined by the standard ELISA method, where 1GPL= 1 microgram/ml IgG aCL and 1 MPL= 1 microgram/ml IgM, and were considered negative 40 GPL and MPL). In the group of 11 patients with the diagnosis Sy Behcet, 6 of them were (54.5%) with values of anticardiolipin antibodies over 10 positive. In the control group of the healthy examinees aCl were positive in 2 cases (18.2%). There are no statistically significant differences in the presence of systemic clinic characteristics between aCl positive and negative patients. All the patients with SY Behcet in whom anticardiolipn antibodies were found have extremely severe visual damage which is not present in the group of those patients where the values of aCl were low. The difference is statistically significant. The level of anticardiolipin antibodies is increased in the patients with Behcet. There are no statistically significant differences in the presence of systemic clinical characteristics between aCL positive and negative patients. Visual acuity in patients with SY Behcet is statistically significantly much lower in patients who had increased values of aCL

DIAGNOSTIC POSSIBILITIES OF RADIOLOGICAL METHODS OF EXAMINATION IN DIAGNOSIS OF PATHOLOGICAL STATES AND DISORDERS OF THE EYE

In diagnostics of pathological states and disorders of the eye, numerous and heterogeneous radiological methods of examination are applied. However, all these radiological methods of examination do not offer the same possibilities, nor do they have the same importance in diagnostics of pathological states and disorders of the eye.The aim of the paper is to present the diagnostic possibilities of radiological methods of examination in making the diagnosis of pathological states and disorders of the eye.The paper is based on the material collected by the author and coauthors, and comprises a collection of standard roentgenograms, echosonograms, CT and MR of the cranium , orbits etc., histories of diseases, as well as the review of the literature.Also, the paper presents the possibilities and advantages of certain radiological methods of examination during making the diagnosis of pathological states and disorders of the eye, with individual presentation of the method of examination. Radiological methods of examination are numerous and heterogenous, dominant and supreme in making the diagnosis of pathological states and disorders of the eye