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Use of laser flare-cell photometry to quantify intraocular inflammation in patients with Behçet Uveitis

  • Inflammatory Disorders
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

To assess the usefulness of laser flare-cell photometry to quantify intraocular inflammation in patients with Behçet disease.

Methods

The study comprised 47 healthy individuals, 78 Behçet patients without ocular involvement, 54 Behçet patients with a uveitis attack and 53 Behçet patients with uveitis in clinical remission. A single observer assigned clinical scores to anterior chamber cells, vitreous haze, and fundus lesions in the attack group. Laser flare-cell photometry measurements were performed by another observer who was masked to the clinical findings. Fundus fluorescein angiography was performed only in the remission group, and fluorescein leakage was scored by a masked retina specialist. The risk of recurrent uveitis attack was analyzed in eyes with high versus low flare values in the remission group. Main outcome measures were anterior chamber flare in Behçet patients compared to the control group, and correlations of flare with clinical scores of intraocular inflammation and with fluorescein leakage. Mann-Whitney U-test, Spearman’s bivariate correlation test, linear regression method, and Kaplan-Meier method were used for statistical analyses.

Results

Mean flare was not increased in Behçet patients without ocular involvement. It was significantly higher in patients with Behçet uveitis both during attacks and in remission (P < 0.001 for each). A significant correlation was found between anterior chamber flare and anterior chamber cell score (rho = 0.705), vitreous haze score (rho = 0.588), and fundus score (rho = 0.464) in the attack group. In the remission group, there was a significant correlation between flare and fluorescein angiography leakage score, and the risk of recurrent uveitis attack was significantly higher in eyes with flare values >6 photons/msec than in eyes with flare values ≤6 photons/msec (right eyes, P < 0.001; left eyes, P = 0.0184).

Conclusions

Laser flare-cell photometry is a useful objective method in the quantitative assessment of intraocular inflammation in patients with Behçet uveitis. The use of this quantitative technique in clinical trials of Behçet uveitis may provide comparable data, as it gives an objective measure of intraocular inflammation. In clinical practice, it may reduce the need for fluorescein angiography because it seems to be especially useful in monitoring persistent retinal vascular leakage in patients who are clinically in remission.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Research Fund of Istanbul University (Project number 53/03062005)

We thank Professor Rian Disci for statistical assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Ilknur Tugal-Tutkun, Kürsat Cingü, Nur Kir, Baris Yeniad & Meri Urgancioglu

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Ahmet Gül

  3. Istanbul Tip Fakultesi, Göz Hastaliklari A.D., Capa 34390, Istanbul, Turkey

    Ilknur Tugal-Tutkun

Authors
  1. Ilknur Tugal-Tutkun
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  2. Kürsat Cingü
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  3. Nur Kir
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  4. Baris Yeniad
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  5. Meri Urgancioglu
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  6. Ahmet Gül
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ilknur Tugal-Tutkun.

Additional information

This study was presented in part at the 12th International Conference on Behçet’s Disease, Lisbon, Portugal, 19–23 September, 2006

Financial disclosures: None

The authors have full control of all primary data and they agree to allow Graefes Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology to review their data upon request.

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Tugal-Tutkun, I., Cingü, K., Kir, N. et al. Use of laser flare-cell photometry to quantify intraocular inflammation in patients with Behçet Uveitis. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 246, 1169–1177 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-008-0823-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-008-0823-6

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