PURPOSE Experimental studies have revealed that fms-like tyrosine kinase (Flt)-4 plays important roles in lymphangiogenesis in malignant tumors, but the clinical significance remains unclear. We assessed Flt-4 expression in tumor cells and in endothelial cells in correlation with clinical outcomes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN A total of 206 consecutive patients w...

PURPOSE To compare the efficacy of 2.5% sodium hyaluronate (BD Multivisc) with the soft shell technique in reducing corneal endothelial cell damage during cataract phacoemulsification in patients with hard lens nucleus (3+) and cornea guttata. METHODS Thirty patients (37 eyes) scheduled for cataract surgery at Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University Hospital San Raffaele, ...

PURPOSE To report a case of pupillary block glaucoma associated with spontaneous crystalline lens subluxation into the anterior chamber in a 34-year-old man. METHODS Dry vitrectomy was performed for securing enough retrolental space, and an intracapsular lens extraction was then performed via a corneolimbal incision. Additional endothelial cell damage was avoided with an injection of viscoela...

OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy and safety of the intraocular lens (IOL)-shell procedure versus conventional phacoemulsification for the surgical treatment of dense cataracts. METHODS Eighty eyes with dense nuclear cataracts were enrolled in a prospective, randomized controlled study. Patients were assigned to two groups. In Group I, the IOL was traditionally implanted after all nuclear fra...

BACKGROUND To describe the initial outcomes and safety of anterior lamellar keratoplasty (ALK) assisted by a femtosecond laser for stromal corneal pathology. METHODS A non-comparative case series of 14 eyes (13 patients) with various stromal corneal diseases underwent ALK with a femtosecond laser. Femtosecond laser settings, technique, uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best-corrected visual a...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this report is to describe the initial outcomes of femtosecond laser-assisted penetrating keratoplasty. METHODS This retrospective surgical case series consisted of 10 eyes from 10 patients undergoing penetrating keratoplasty at a tertiary center. Femtosecond laser was used to perform a zig-square incision on the donor cornea with matched dimensions on the recipient ...

PURPOSE Based on current evidence, the efficiency and safety of Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) was compared with that of Descemet's stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK). METHODS Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Database and conference abstracts were comprehensively searched for studies that compared the efficacy and safety of DMEK and DSEK. The efficacy o...

BACKGROUND Endothelial keratoplasty (EK) is used increasingly for the management of cases with endothelial dysfunction. Long-term outcomes of the surgery are not widely reported in the literature. We report our experience of EK in Chinese eyes at a University teaching hospital. METHODS Retrospective analysis was performed for all cases of EK performed between 2005 and 2009. Data analyzed incl...