Objective To observe the efficiency and security of enhanced external counter pulsation (EECP) as an adjunctive therapy for nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Methods This was a retrospective casecontrol study. Forty-eight patients (48 eyes) with NAION were enrolled in this study. Thirty-two patients (32 eyes) who had been treated with blood vessel dilation and nerve nutrition drugs comprised the medicated group. Sixteen of the patients (16 eyes) in the medicated group were treated with EECP combined with blood vessel dilating and nerve nutrition drugs as EECP group. The differences were not statistically significant between groups in gender( chi;2=0.000), age (t=1.096), course (t=1.613) and visual acuity ( chi;2=0.000,P＞0.05). EECP was done once a day, one hour per time, five times a week. Fourteen eyes were treated 12 times EECP and two eyes were treated 36 times EECP within the EECP group. Systemic and ocular side effects were observed during EECP treatment. Corrected visual acuity was examined after treatment and the differences of visual acuity between medicated group and EECP group treated six times and or 12 times with EECP treatment were analyzed. The correlation of visual acuity level, and course, and acuity before treatment were analyzed. A significant improvement in visual acuity was defined as a sustained improvement of three or more visual acuity gradations. An effective of treatment was defined as a sustained improvement of two or less visual acuity gradations. No effective of treatment was defined as visual acuity dropped or showed no progress. Results After six treatments of EECP, within the 16 eyes of EECP group, two eyes achieved significant improvement, five eyes had effective improvement, and nine eyes did not show any improvement. Within the 32 eyes of medicated group, three eyes achieved significant improvement, eight eyes had effective improvement, and 21 eyes did not show any improvement. There was no statistically significant difference in vision between the two groups ( chi;2=0.404,P＞0.05). After 12 treatments of EECP, within the 16 eyes of EECP group, six eyes achieved significant improvement, nine eyes had effective improvement, and one eye did not show any improvement. Within the 32 eyes of medicated group, four eyes achieved significant improvement, 10 eyes had effective improvement, and 28 eyes did not show any improvement. The difference was statistically significant comparing the vision level between the two groups ( chi;2=11.621,P＜0.05）. The curative effect of patients negatively correlated with course of the disease (r=-0.860，P＜0.05), but positively correlated with visual acuity before treatment (r=1.380,P＜0.05). Skin bruises, hematoma, new retinal bleeding and other side effects did not occur in patients during EECP treatment. Conclusions Many time therapy of EECP can improve vision of NAION patients. There is no local and general complications after a certain number of therapy.
Citation： 朱文珲,刘丽,陈咏冲,廖瑞端. The observation of curative effect of enhanced external counter pulsation as an adjunctive therapy for nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. Chinese Journal of Ocular Fundus Diseases, 2013, 29(3): 249-252. doi: Copy
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