Report on Filatov Memorial Lectures – 2017 International Scientific Conference

N.V. Pasyechnikova, Doctor of Med. Science, Professor, Corresponding member of NAMS of Ukraine, V.A. Naumenko, Doctor of Med. Science, Professor, V.V. Myrnenko, E.G. Stoylovska, A.Yu. Arkusha, O.V. Pronchenko

Filatov Eye Disease and Tissue Therapy Institute, NAMS of Ukraine

Odessa (Ukraine)

International Scientific Conference “Filatov Memorial Lectures-2017” was held in Odessa on the 21st -22nd of May 2015. This huge national event in the field of health care presented scientific and practical program of immediate interest that included scientific sessions, lectures, discussions, and a specialized exhibition. The conference was a chance for scientists, researches, ophthalmology practitioners, and related specialists (neonatologists, radiologists, chemotherapeutist, pharmacologists, and biologists) to share their best practice, to improve professional skills, and to expand occupational contacts.

1132 delegates participated in the conference; of them, 808 were from the regions of Ukraine as follows: Odessa - 209; Vinnytsya - 63, Volyn- 27, Dnipropetrovsk - 85, Donetsk - 15, Zhytomyr - 23, Zakarpattya - 15, Zaporizhzhya - 47, Ivano-Frankovsk  - 40, Kyiv and Kyiv region - 166, Kirovograd - 26, Luhansk - 5, Lviv - 71, Mykolayiv - 29, Poltava - 26, Rivne - 34, Sumy - 16, Ternopil - 16, Kharkiv - 78, Kherson - 23, Khmelnytsk - 37, Cherkasy - 18, Chernigiv - 29, Chernivtsi – 11. Also, there were participants from Georgia (2), Belarus (3), Italy (2), Moldova (12), Germany (1), Switzerland (3).

222 scientific papers by ophthalmologists and related specialists including 83 papers by the Filatov Institute coworkers were published in the Proceedings of the Conference.

Two day program was devoted to such priority issues as follow: corneal pathology, keratoplasty, trauma and burn injuries of the eye and its adnexa, lens pathology, glaucoma, neoplasms of the eye and orbit, modern organ-preserving treatment, diabetic lesions of the eye, vitreoretinal pathology, lasers in ophthalmology, reconstructive pathology, choroid, retina, and optic nerve pathology, ophthalmic pathology in children, refractive errors, oculomotor disorders. There were seven plenary sessions, six section sessions, two satellite symposia, a rapid fire paper session and a poster presentation session during which Ukrainian and foreign specialists in the field of ophthalmology made their presentations.

Nataliya Pasyechnikova, Prof., corr. member of NAMS of Ukraine, Director of Filatov Eye Disease and Tissue Therapy Institute, greeted the participants and opened the first session which was dedicated to corneal diseases and keratoplasty. Professor G.I. Drozhzhina presented a report on the rational use of the donor material for keratoplasty which enabled to perform urgent surgery and preserve the eye.

Co-report of N. Pasyechnikova, NAMS corr.member, Iakimenko S.A., Prof., Buznyk O.I., PhD presented outcomes of biosynthetic collagen-based analogues of corneal stroma clinical application in corneal pathology treatment that showed the possibility of implants to stimulate regeneration and to improve the sensitivity of corneas with severe pathology and high risk grafting. Today, synthetic acellular substitutes of the donor cornea are alternatives in corneal pathology treatment and require the further studying. Of a special interest are medical and social aspects of disability due to corneal pathology in Ukraine. Thus, studies performed by Ukrainian State Research Institute of Medical and Social Disability Problems revealed a great need (every tenth is a primary vision disable) to provide disabled with modern surgical treatments of corneal pathology (Alifanova T.A.). A group of authors, prof. Drozhzhina G.I., prof. Naumenko V.A., and Troichenko L.F., presented the results of accelerated cross-linking UV-X of the cornea in keratoconus that made it possibly not only to stop disease progression but to increase vision acuity and to decrease an astigmatism degree within the 3 month follow-up period. Also, the session presentations were dedicated to diseases associated with soft contact lens misusing, dry eye syndrome of various etiologies.

At the second plenary session, issues on age-related cataract treatment were discussed. Outcomes of phacoemulsification with IOL implantation using modern surgical automatic systems were presented. There was shown the experience of toric IOL implantation in cataract in combination with corneal astigmatism.

The third plenary session was dedicated to glaucoma, which is the second leading cause of blindness invalidity in Ukraine, and a number of important issues on providing early ophthalmic aid to patients with this severe disease: neuroprotective therapy, and combined surgical treatment for advanced stages. A special attention was paid to early diagnostics of glaucoma and functional state of retinal ganglion cells.

The fourth plenary session dedicating to pathology of the choroid, retina, and optic nerve presented issues on early diagnostics and treatment of various uveitis patients. Professor Carl P. Herbort (Switzerland) introduced new methods to measure intraocular inflammation. The report of Colovach I.Yu. was dedicated to treatment of non-infectious uveitis in practice of rheumatologist. Zborovskaia A.V., (Dr. of Med. Sc.), demonstrated results of the experimental study in autoimmune uveitis in rabbits that showed the anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effect of stem cell intravitreal injections. Other presentations were on diagnostics of tuberculous chorioretinitis, ischemic lesions of the optic nerve, treatment of age-related macular degeneration.

A number of important issues on ophthalmology innovations were discussed during the fifth plenary session. Prof. A.P.Chiardella drew attention to the efficacy of the intravitreal anti-angiogenic agent in the ocular fundus pathology. Korol A.R., (Dr. of Med. Sc.), assessed the efficacy and safety of aflibercept for the treatment of choroidal neovascularization in patients with pathologic myopia during the long-term follow up. There was also a report on the effect of transscleral laser (1064 nm) cyclodestruction on the temperature of the external ocular surface in patients with neovascular glaucoma and laser coagulation in micropulse mode in treatment of central serous chorioretinopathy.

The seventh plenary session on diabetic lesions of the eye and vitreoretinal surgery presented results of surgical approach to treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment complicated by choroidal detachment. Prof. Putienko A.A. drew attention to development of a predicting model for functional result of treatment after intravitreal interventions in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The issues discussed were: stage-by-stage treatment of vasoproliferative tumors of the retina; IOL implantation in patients with silicone tamponade of the vitreous; peripheral and radial retinotomy in treatment of retinal detachment complicated by severe proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

Rapid Fire session included presentations on diagnostics and treatment of eye diseases: lacrimal pathway disorder treatment; post-traumatic eyelid deformation reconstruction; floxal, indocollyr, and marepolimiel in chorioretinitis treatment; changes in epibulbar intraocular temperature in various types of hypothermia in experiment.

Section sessions were dedicated to issues as follow: pediatric ophthalmology, binocular vision disorders and refractive errors, ophthalmic aid organization and delivery to patients with trauma and burn injuries.

There was a round table on iris prosthesis, which is an important issue today, held as a part of the conference. The purpose of it was to present the experience of aniridia surgeries. The section was headed by prof. Bobrova N.F.

Poster presentation session presented 14 papers with active discussion of scientific outcomes.

Within the conference there were two satellite symposia supported by VALEANT and NOVARTIS.

Media suppoeters of the conference were journals “Journal of Ophthalmology (Ukraine)”, “Oftalmologiia. Vostochnaia Evropa” (Ophthalmology. Eastern Europe), and a medical newspaper “Zdorovya Ukrainy” (Health of Ukraine).

As a result of discussion and shared experiences the following recommendations were accepted:

1.     To Ophthalmology Departments at higher and post-graduate educational institutions, SI “The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of NAMS of Ukraine” and ophthalmologists in the regions of Ukraine:

1.1. Annual study must be provided for ophthalmologists, especially for physicians in the first medical aid centers, by means of seminars, post-graduate courses with participation of leading specialists from ophthalmology post-graduate departments, medical universities and SI “The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of NAMS of Ukraine”.

2.     To chief ophthalmologists in Ukraine’s regions:

2.1. To advance consultative aid delivery to ophthalmic oncology patients, it is suggested to orginize in regions (in ophthalmic centers) consultative days involving specialists of ophthalmic oncology department of the Filatov Institute.

2.2. In case if neoplasm of the eye or its adnexa and orbit is suspected or diagnosed, ophthalmologists of regional and municipal policlinics and hospitals must refer the patients to specialized ophthalmic oncology center in the Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the NAMS of Ukraine in order to specify the diagnosis and to perform early treatment.  

2.3. In case if uveitis is suspected or diagnosed, ophthalmologists of regional and municipal policlinics and hospitals must refer the patients to specialized uveitis center in the Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the NAMS of Ukraine in order to perform early treatment and to avoid complications.  

2.4. Eye doctors in ophthalmology cabinets of regional and municipal hospitals and policlinic should be encouraged to use prismatic correction of strabismus.

2.5. Patients with the most severe forms of cataract and glaucoma, including those with the only eye able to see, must be referred for treatment to hospital of highest accreditation level.

2.6. The quality of following up the patients with diabetes mellitus should be improved for early diagnosis and referral to laser treatment centers in order to preserve visual functions and to prevent proliferation development. 

2.7. To avoid severe complications of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and vision loss, patients with PDR must be referred to specialized centers in order to perform early vitreoretinal interventions, viz. no later than six months after the development of the first hemophthalmos.

 3. To SI “The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of NAMS of Ukraine”:

3.1. XIV Ukrainian Congress of Ophthalmologists to be held in Odessa on May 23-25 May 2018. The event facilitates sharing the experience, involving clinical ophthalmologists in scientific work, improving their skills, and introducing new technologies in ophthalmology.

 

3.2. All Ukrainian scientific and practical conference of ophthalmologists dedicated to 80 anniversary of Ukrainian Society of Ophthalmologists to be held on September 12-13, in a city of Vinnytsia.