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Purpose: To assess the incidence, characteristics, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), and retinal sensitivity correlations in patients with and without outer retinal tubulation (ORT) affected by subfoveal choroidal neovascularization due to neovascular age-related macular degeneration., Methods: Prospective case series including 78 eyes of 78 consecutive patients with subfoveal choroidal neovascularization due to neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Baseline and follow-up visits included BCVA, intraocular pressure, ophthalmoscopic examination, CMT as measured by spectral domain optical coherence tomography, and retinal sensitivity tested with fundus-related perimetry (MP-1). Fluorescent angiography was performed at baseline., Results: At the end of the follow-up period, the mean BCVA and CMT of patients with ORT were statistically different from those without ORT (BCVA: 0.61 ± 0.13 vs. 0.37 ± 1.59, P < 0.0001; CMT: 290 ± 26.7 vs. 215.2 ± 33.5 μm; P < 0.0001). Patients with ORT showed a decreased mean retinal sensitivity compared with patients without ORT (6.31 ± 2.5 dB vs. 9.89 ± 5.43 dB; P < 0.0001)., Conclusion: The results of this study investigating the BCVA, CMT, and retinal sensitivity detected by MP-1 between patients with and without ORT in neovascular age-related macular degeneration suggest that these parameters are statistically different in patients with ORT; this may be due to the pathogenesis of ORT formation, secondary to retinal pigment epithelial tears or photoreceptor damage. MP-1 microperimeter is a noninvasive instrument that provides useful information to better characterize the functional aspect of ORT in patients with age-related macular degeneration.

The case of an adult male who came to clinical evaluation because of an abundant ascites without any obvious cardiac or hepatic explanation is reported. The exudative characteristics of the ascitic fluid, the elevated serum-ascites albumin gradient, some electrocardiographic anomalies, hypercholesterolemia and a slight macrocytic anemia prompted a clinical diagnosis of probable hypothyroidism. This was also due to an anamnesis of remote antithyroid radiometabolic treatment. The serum hormone levels and the ultrasonogram of the gland confirmed the diagnosis. Hormonal substitutive therapy led to thyroid-stimulating hormone normalization and to a progressive decrease of the ascites, that eventually disappeared. This case, which involves a rare manifestation of hypothyroidism, underscores the need to consider thyroid diseases in the differential diagnosis of ascites and to include thyroid-stimulating hormone dosage among the laboratory tests to be ordered when suspicious clinical or biochemical data are present (mainly, the exudative aspect of the ascites).

Idiopathic hypereosinophilia is a disease with an unknown etiology and pathogenesis and uncertain nosographic classification, although there is now tendency to group a number of syndromes under this name which were previously classified separately, although having similar hematological symptoms and clinical manifestations. The paper examines these aspects and reports the case of a patient with idiopathic hypereosinophilia to steroid treatment.

Hyponatremia complicates ascitic hepatic cirrhosis with frequency and gravity related to the gravity of the cirrhosis itself. When hyponatremia develops, it worsens the already present secondary hyperaldosteronism and makes therapy with spironolactone inefficacious. From a pathophysiologic viewpoint a pathogenetic role in determining hyponatremia is attributable to the reduced plasmatic renal perfusion; in several patients a syndrome of inappropriate ADH secretion develops. Other neurohormonal systems (catecholamines, prostaglandins, natriuretic hormones) are probably very important in modifying renal hemodynamics and renal tubular function. In some patients a causative role for hyponatremia is attributable to iatrogenic factors (e.g.: diuretics). From a therapeutic viewpoint, we examine some schedules, pharmacologic or not, that, however, are far from being useful for all patients. We discuss, mainly, water restriction, osmotic diuretics with or without loop diuretics, loop diuretics followed by sodium reintegration and concentration-reinfusion of ascites or application of peritoneovenous shunt.

The authors present the case of a patient with phlebothrombosis of the left lower limb, not diagnosed with traditional ultrasonographic methods (Doppler c w) but recognized by the echo Doppler (duplex scanner) method. The diagnosis was made difficult by the presence of a congenital double left popliteal vein, with hypoechogenic thrombosis of only one of the two twin veins. The authors stress the diagnostic importance of the duplex scanner method in the study of the phlebobstructive pathologies of the lower limbs.