Distribution patterns of torpedo maculopathy: Further evidence of a congenital retinal nerve fiber layer-driven etiology

Multifocal Torpedo Maculopathy Complicated by Choroidal Neovascularization

Purpose: To present a pediatric patient with a unique configuration of torpedo maculopathy complicated by macular choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Methods: A single case was retrospectively reviewed. Results: An 8-year-old male child presented with decreased vision in the left eye and was found to have 2 distinct torpedo maculopathy lesions, 1 a smaller hypopigmented lesion in the temporal parafovea and the other a larger hyperpigmented comet-shaped lesion in the temporal periphery. Multimodal imaging showed active CNV. The patient received 2 intravitreal injections of ranibizumab with regression of CNV and recovery of visual acuity. Conclusions: CNV is a rare complication of torpedo maculopathy that can affect pediatric patients in the absence of choroidal excavation. The presence of a hyperpigmented peripheral lesion exhibiting symmetry across the horizontal raphe lends support to the hypothesis that an alteration in the development and migration of retinal pigment epithelium cells across the fetal bulge results in this disorder.

Type 1 and type 2 torpedo maculopathy

PURPOSE

To analyze torpedo maculopathy (TM) and to report the characteristics of the disease.

METHODS

Retrospective study. The review of a database for clinical diagnosis identified eight patients with TM lesions in the retina between 2016 and 2022. Multimodal imaging was used to analyze the cases.

RESULTS

All cases were unilateral, asymptomatic, and hypopigmented. They were associated by surrounding hyperpigmented retinal pigment epithelium changes to varying degrees. All lesions were located in the temporal retina on the horizontal axis, pointing towards the fovea, except for one patient with a lesion inferior to the fovea. Optical coherence tomography imaging revealed a normal inner retina in all eyes. In the area of the TM lesion, attenuation of the interdigitation zone was seen in mild cases (three cases). All other five patients had thinning of the outer nuclear layer and loss of ellipsoid zone and interdigitation zone of the TM lesion. Four of these cases had a subretinal cavitation/cleft, and two of them additionally an inner choroidal excavation. No patient had any sign of choroidal neovascularization. The average age for patients with type 1 TM was 18 years and for type 2 TM 16.5 years.

CONCLUSION

In this large case series, we could not detect an age difference between the different types of the TM. Contrary to previous discussions, type 2 TM can also occur in young patients.

Long-term follow-up of torpedo maculopathy: a case series and mini-review

BACKGROUND

Torpedo maculopathy (TM) is a rare, congenital condition characterized by an oval-shaped, chorioretinal lesion in the temporal macula of unknown etiology. To our knowledge, the longest reported follow-up of TM is 5 years. Herein we report 10 years of follow-up on two patients with TM to further characterize the long-term natural history of the condition.

CASE REPORTS

Two patients with torpedo maculopathy were examined at baseline and then again at 5 years and 10 years from baseline. Eyes were evaluated using color fundus photography, automated perimetry, fundus autofluorescence and spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Visual function of both patients remained stable throughout the observation period. In case 1, there was no evidence of change in lesion morphology over the 10 year observation period. Case 2 showed progression of cystic degeneration of the neurosensory retina within the torpedo lesion. Case 1 reported a history of supernumerary teeth and underwent gene sequence with deletion/duplication analyses of the APC gene but no clinically significant variants were detected.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings support the position that TM is a nonprogressive condition with long-term stability of visual function. Genetic analysis of case 1 failed to detect any association with Gardner syndrome.

CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION IN TORPEDO MACULOPATHY TREATED BY AFLIBERCEPT: LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP USING OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY AND OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY

PURPOSE

To report a case of torpedo maculopathy (TM) in an elderly patient complicated by choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and that was treated by intravitreal aflibercept injections and monitored during 30 months using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography.

METHODS

A 74-year-old woman complained of a metamorphopsia in the left eye. Visual acuity was 20/25 while fundus examination showed a hypopigmented torpedo-shaped chorioretinal lesion in the temporal macula associated with a retinal exudation.

RESULTS

Multimodal imaging showed a severe chorioretinal excavation confirming the diagnosis of TM associated with an exudative Type 1 CNV. Intravitreal aflibercept injections allowed an initial good anatomical and functional improvement, but multiple recurrences occurred. At the last visit, 30 months after the start of 14 intravitreal aflibercept injections, a persistent subretinal fluid was present with a decreased visual acuity to 20/32 while the CNV surface grew in OCT angiography.

CONCLUSION

This first case of long-term follow-up of CNV secondary to TM showed an anti-VEGF dependency or even a resistance with extension of CNV. Thus, a deep retinochoroidal atrophy could be the late evolution of TM that may result on severe CNV in advanced stages. A regular TM monitoring including OCT and OCT angiography would be necessary to detect any potential CNV for an early and aggressive treatment.

Multimodal Imaging of Choroidal Structural in Torpedo Maculopathy

Objective

To report a case of torpedo maculopathy with multimodal fundus imaging methods, and apply the choroid vascularity index to quantitatively describe the choroidal structural changes in torpedo maculopathy.

Case presentation

An asymptomatic 41-year-old Chinese woman with an incidentally found yellowish-white macular lesion in her left eye was referred to our hospital. She was unaware of any prior medical conditions. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/20 OD and 20/25 OS, respectively. Fundus exam of her left eye revealed a well-circumscribed torpedo-like hypopigmented lesion in the macula region, and the tapered edge directed toward the fovea. Pigment deposition could be seen in the inferotemporal portion of the torpedo lesion. Fluorescein angiography showed the corresponding window defect without leakage and fundus autofluorescence demonstrated low signal throughout the lesion. Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography revealed outer retinal attenuation, subretinal cavitation, subtle inner choroidal excavation and thinning of outer nuclear layer. The diagnosis of torpedo maculopathy was clinically made. Choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and sub-foveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) were applied to display changes of choroidal structure. The results implied that both subfoveal CVI and SFCT of the affected eye seemed relatively lower when compared with the fellow eye. Optical coherence tomography angiography showed reduced density of the choriocapillaris in the temporal area of the lesion and increased capillary density in the nasal area. Functional examinations, including microperimetry, multifocal electroretinogram and static perimetry also revealed reduced retinal sensitivity, decreased stimulated amplitude and suspected scotoma in the lesion area. After 12 months of follow-up, the patient's visual acuity and the clinical appearance of the lesion were unchanged.

Conclusion

The torpedo maculopathy may be identified by abnormal appearance with multimodal imaging. Decreased choroidal vascularity in the lesion area measured quantitatively by choroid vascularity index may play a role in pathogenesis of torpedo maculopathy.

Multimodal Imaging of Torpedo Maculopathy With Fluorescence Adaptive Optics Imaging of Individual Retinal Pigmented Epithelial Cells

Torpedo maculopathy (TM) is a rare congenital defect of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The RPE is often evaluated clinically using fundus autofluorescence (AF), a technique that visualizes RPE structure at the tissue level from the intrinsic AF of RPE fluorophores. TM lesions typically emit little or no AF, but this macroscopic assessment is unable to resolve the RPE cells, leaving the organization of the RPE cell mosaic in TM unknown. We used fluorescence adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO) to show here for the first time the microscopic cellular-level structural alterations to the RPE cell mosaic in TM that underlie the tissue-level changes seen in conventional clinical imaging. We evaluated two patients with TM using conventional clinical imaging techniques and adaptive optics (AO) infrared autofluorescence (IRAF) in AOSLO. Confocal AOSLO revealed relatively normal cones outside the TM lesion but altered cone appearance within it and along its margins in both patients. We quantified cone topography and RPE cell morphometry from the fovea to the margin of the lesion in case 1 and found cone density to be within the normal range across the locations imaged. However, RPE morphometric analysis revealed disrupted RPE cells outside the margin of the lesion; the mean RPE cell area was greater than two standard deviations above the normative range up to approximately 1.5 mm from the lesion margin. Similar morphometric changes were seen to individual RPE cells in case 2. Multi-modal imaging with AOSLO reveals that RPE cells are abnormal in TM well beyond the margins of the characteristic TM lesion boundary defined with conventional clinical imaging. Since the TM fovea appears to be fully formed, with normal cone packing, it is possible that the congenital RPE defect in TM occurs relatively late in retinal development. This work demonstrates how cellular level imaging of the RPE can provide new insight into RPE pathologies, particularly for rare conditions such as TM.

Clinical evaluation of torpedo maculopathy in an infant population with additional genetic testing for NEXMIF mutation

PURPOSE

To assess clinical characteristics of torpedo maculopathy (TM) lesions in an infant population with age ≤1.5 years and to investigate the role of NEXMIF mutation in the development of TM.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of medical records of 17 consecutive infants with the diagnosis of TM between 2016 January and 2019 December were done. Fundus images and a hand-held spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (Envisu 2300, Bioptigen, Morrisville, NC, USA) were used to identify clinical characteristics of TM lesions. Additional molecular testing for mutation screening for NEXMIF gene was also carried out.

RESULTS

Totally 55334 infants were screened during the study period and 17 (0.03%) were identified as having TM. The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 3.94±5.08 months. All TM lesions showed variable degrees of hypopigmentation. Satellite lesion in one infant was nasally located to the main TM lesion. Absence, disruption, loss, degeneration and/or irregularity of the ellipsoid zone were common findings on OCT examination. No pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant of NEXMIF gene was detected.

CONCLUSION

Fundoscopic appearance and OCT findings of lesions show similarities to those already reported previously. Contrary to popular belief, a nasally located satellite lesion was observed in one of our case.

Congenital ocular toxoplasmosis with torpedo maculopathy and retinopathy of prematurity in a premature baby

Purpose

To report an unusual case of congenital bilateral abnormality due to coexisting ocular toxoplasmosis and retinopathy of prematurity.

Observations

A prematurely born baby with bilateral retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (one eye treated) was found to have a hyperpigmented torpedo maculopathy lesion in one eye while the other eye presented with microphthalmia, congenital cataract and non-specific pigmentary retinopathy. Following negative TORCH screening, laboratory tests subsequently revealed increased plasma IgG and IgM for toxoplasmosis.

Conclusions

We present an unusual case of coexistence of congenital ocular toxoplasmosis with torpedo maculopathy and retinopathy of prematurity.