PERIPHERAL RETINOSCHISIS IN INTERMEDIATE UVEITIS

An Unusual Manifestation of Brucella-Associated Uveitis in a Young Male Patient

This is a unique case of retinoschisis as an ocular manifestation of brucellosis. A 38-year-old male presented with recurrent episodes of bilateral eye redness, predominately in his left eye. His visual acuity was not affected, and he did not report any other symptoms. On slit lamp examination, binocular Koeppe nodules of the iris and cells in the left anterior chamber were observed. Fundoscopy followed by meticulous multimodal imaging confirmed left inferior retinoschisis. The patient was diagnosed with panuveitis, and a series of laboratory examinations revealed positive anti-IgM Brucella antibodies. Ocular brucellosis can cause variable, atypical, and serious presentations, hence, early diagnosis is paramount to avoid complications.

Wide Field Optical Coherence Tomography and Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Uveitis

BACKGROUND

We review the current literature on the use of wide-field optical coherence tomography (OCT) and wide-field optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in different uveitic phenotypes as well as various sequelae of uveitis and discuss the limitations of this evolving technology.

MAIN BODY

Current consensus guidelines on nomenclature in wide-field OCT and OCTA are described. The specific utility of wide-field OCT and OCTA in assessment of the retina and choroid using different en-face and cross-sectional slabs in various inflammatory diseases is reviewed. Furthermore, we discuss widefield OCT and OCTA in assessment of retinal ischemia and its limitations in assessing retinal vascular leakage.

CONCLUSION

Wide-field OCT and OCTA deliver more sensitive measures of inflammation. With continued advancement in both hardware technology and software processing, these modalities will allow for more accurate assessment of uveitis, better understanding of disease mechanisms, and precise monitoring of treatment response.

Etiology of Pediatric Uveitis in a Tertiary Pediatric Eye Hospital in Egypt

PURPOSE

To report the causes of childhood-onset uveitis in a tertiary pediatric ophthalmology hospital in Egypt.

METHODS

Retrospective study of the medical records of all uveitis patients following up at a tertiary pediatric ophthalmology hospital in Egypt from January 2017 to December 2020.

RESULTS

The present study included 388 patients. The most common anatomical category was intermediate uveitis (30.4%), and around half of these children had pars planitis. This was followed by panuveitis (25.5%), posterior uveitis (23.5%), and anterior uveitis (20.6%), in decreasing frequency. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, toxoplasmosis, and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome were the most common causes of anterior uveitis, posterior uveitis, and panuveitis respectively. Cataract (40.5%), glaucoma (33.8%), and cystoid macular edema (31.6%) were the most frequent ocular complications.

CONCLUSION

The present report provides the relative prevalence of the different anatomical types of uveitis, as well as their main causes in a cohort of Egyptian patients with childhood-onset uveitis.

Experts Opinion: OCTA vs. FFA/ICG in Uveitis - Which Will Survive?

Will optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) replace invasive imaging techniques like fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and indocyanine green (ICG) angiography entirely? While OCTA is being increasingly applied in the field of medical retina, will we see this change in the subspeciality of uveitis? In this article, five uveitis specialists with renowned imaging expertise answer to 10 specific questions to address this issue. The final verdict based on the comments of the experts suggests that FFA and ICG cannot be replaced by OCTA in uveitis, at least for now. While OCTA can offer new insights into the pathogenesis of certain inflammatory conditions and help in the diagnosis of complications like inflammatory choroidal neovascularisation, multimodal imaging is still the preferred approach in the assessment of patients with uveitis.

Peripheral retinal cysts in presumed ocular toxocariasis

Typical clinical manifestations of ocular toxocariasis are central posterior granuloma, peripheral granuloma and chronic endophthalmitis. Herein we report the presence of peripheral subretinal cysts in two cases with a presumed ocular toxocariasis (OT).

X-Linked Retinoschisis Masquerading Uveitis

X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) shows features also seen in patients with uveitis and is recognized as an uveitis masquerade syndrome. This retrospective study aimed to describe characteristics of XLRS patients with an initial uveitis diagnosis and to contrast these to patients with an initial XLRS diagnosis. Patients referred to a uveitis clinic, which turned out to have XLRS (n = 4), and patients referred to a clinic for inherited retinal diseases (n = 18) were included. All patients underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examinations, including retinal imaging with fundus photography, ultra-widefield fundus imaging, and optical coherence tomography (OCT). In patients with an initial diagnosis of uveitis, a macular cystoid schisis was always interpreted as an inflammatory macular edema; vitreous hemorrhages were commonly interpreted as intraocular inflammation. Patients with an initial diagnosis of XLRS rarely (2/18; p = 0.02) showed vitreous hemorrhages. No additional demographic, anamnestic, and anatomical differences were found. An increased awareness of XLRS as a uveitis masquerade syndrome may facilitate early diagnosis and may prevent unnecessary therapies.

VASOPROLIFERATIVE TUMORS IN INTERMEDIATE UVEITIS

PURPOSE

To describe patients with intermediate uveitis complicated by vasoproliferative tumors (VPTs).

METHODS

Data were collected at seven Uveitis/Ocular Oncology centers on demographic, ophthalmic findings at baseline and at follow-up, and on imaging. The therapeutic intervention, final visual acuity, and duration of follow-up were recorded.

RESULTS

A total of 36 eyes from 34 patients (12 men, 22 women; mean age 35.3 ± 14.2 years) were included in this study. Visual acuity at presentation ranged from 20/40 to counting fingers. At the time of VPT diagnosis, intermediate uveitis was active in all eyes. The mean VPT thickness was 3.06 ± 0.86 mm. Local treatment to the VPT was provide in 22 eyes (61.1%) and no local treatment to the VPT in 14 eyes (38.9%). After the VPT was detected, systemic or local treatment for the inflammation was initiated and on follow-up FAs 94.4% of the eyes showed resolution of the vascular leakage. During follow-up of 35.8 months, the 22 VPTs treated locally had a reduction in the tumor thickness to 1.25 mm, whereas the 14 VPTs untreated remained stable (final mean tumor thickness 2.65 mm).

CONCLUSION

The presence of active intermediate uveitis accompanied by VPTs suggests the need for an aggressive uveitis treatment.

VASCULARIZED SARCOID GRANULOMA COMPLICATED BY PLACOID DISEASE IN A PEDIATRIC PATIENT

PURPOSE

To report a case of pediatric vascularized sarcoid choroidal granuloma complicated by placoid-like inflammation.

METHODS

Case report.

RESULTS

A 10-year-old girl presented with blurry vision in her right eye and a yellowish macular lesion that had been diagnosed as fibrotic choroidal neovascular membrane and observed for several months. On referral to our clinic, optical coherence tomography revealed a homogeneous hyperreflective lesion obliterating the choroidal vasculature and protruding under the retina with associated subretinal and intraretinal fluid. Optical coherence tomography angiography revealed vascularization of this granulomatous lesion, and the girl underwent six intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor, with reabsorption of the fluid and consolidation of the lesion. A sudden, abrupt decrease in the visual acuity of the right eye 3 months after the last injection was accompanied on optical coherence tomography by hyperreflective inflammatory lesions breaking from the retinal pigment epithelium and involving the outer nuclear layer, all around the fibrotic granulomatous lesion. The girl was treated with oral steroids, and an extensive systemic evaluation revealed hilar adenopathy, thus posing the diagnosis of pediatric sarcoidosis complicated by placoid chorioretinopathy.

CONCLUSION

Atypical presentations of typical uveitic diseases are quite common in children. The presence of a foveal vascularized granuloma complicated by a placoid disorder should prompt the exclusion of infectious etiologies such as tuberculosis, to establish a therapy to preserve the child's vision.

Intermediate Uveitis Etiology, Complications, Treatment, and Outcomes in a Colombian Uveitis Referral Center

Purpose

To analyze the etiology, clinical characteristics, complications, treatments, and outcomes of patients with intermediate uveitis examined in a uveitis referral center in Bogotá, Colombia.

Patients and Methods

We conducted a retrospective descriptive study. We reviewed systematically the clinical records of patients attending a uveitis referral center in Bogotá, Colombia from 2013 to 2020. Data analysis included demographics, etiology, clinical characteristics, treatment modalities, best-corrected visual acuity, and complications. For categorical variables, absolute and relative frequencies were used while for continuous variables mean and standard deviations were calculated.

Results

We identified 18 patients with intermediate uveitis. The mean age at disease onset was 19.4 years. There was no sex predominance. Two-thirds of the patients presented bilateral involvement. The mean initial best-corrected visual acuity was 0.19 LogMAR. The most common etiology was idiopathic followed by undetermined, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The most common characteristics were insidious onset, chronic course, and persistent duration. The complications found were macular edema, optic disk edema, cataract, epiretinal membrane, among others. Corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapy were the most common treatments. Mean follow-up time was 24.4 months, and the mean final best-corrected visual acuity was 0.12 LogMAR.

Conclusion

This is the first study describing intermediate uveitis features in South America. In our context, intermediate uveitis is infrequent. Polyautoimmunity and familial autoimmunity phenomena were found in some patients. These may require a multidisciplinary approach. Ophthalmologists should promptly diagnose, treat, and refer patients with this disease to avoid common complications. Further studies are required to determine the disease relation with polyautoimmunity.

Acquired retinoschisis and vitreous hemorrhage as unusual findings in choroideremia: Case report

PURPOSE

To report a case of choroideremia characterized by peripheral retinoschisis with vascular abnormalities and vitreous hemorrhage.

OBSERVATIONS

A 58-year-old man affected by advanced-stage choroideremia was diagnosed with peripheral retinoschisis in both eyes. Vitreous hemorrhage was present in the right eye with a peculiar clot-like lesion at the periphery. At the 1-year follow-up, the vitreous hemorrhage had reabsorbed and the vascular clot-like lesion in the periphery had almost completely disappeared.

CONCLUSION AND IMPORTANCE

We have reported fundoscopic and OCT features of peripheral-acquired retinoschisis with vascular abnormalities in a patient with choroideremia. OCT examination is extremely useful in clinical evaluation of the peripheral retinal alterations in these cases, where the absence of the retinal pigment epithelium and the choriocapillaris pose many diagnostic difficulties.

Degenerative Peripheral Retinoschisis: Observations From Ultra-Widefield Fundus Imaging

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To describe the ultra-widefield (UWF) imaging characteristics of patients with degenerative peripheral retinoschisis (DPR) using Optomap technology.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this multicenter, retrospective, noncomparative, consecutive case series, eligible patients underwent detailed retinal examination including indirect ophthalmoscopy. UWF fundus imaging, including color fundus photography, autofluorescence, and angiography, was performed using standardized protocols and findings were recorded and reviewed and analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 35 patients (58 eyes) with DPR were identified who underwent 55 sessions of UWF imaging. Mean age was 65 years, and the inferotemporal quadrant was most commonly affected (74% of eyes). Of these patients, 31 underwent fluorescein angiography and 90% of these studies illustrated abnormalities in the area affected by the schisis. The most common finding was retinal vascular leakage originating from the deep capillary plexus observed in 29 eyes (93.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

UWF imaging enables a more detailed identification of the clinical features associated with DPR and provides simple, practical, and noninvasive tools to monitor progression of disease. The breadth of retinal vascular complications identified with fluorescein angiography may suggest an important vascular component associated with the pathogenesis of this entity. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2019;50:557-564.].

Two cases of diabetic macular edema complicated by an atypical macular hole

Background

Here we report two patients who developed an atypical macular hole (MH) during the treatment course for diabetic macular edema (DME).

Case presentations

Patient 1 was a 73-year-old male. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed perifoveal retinoschisis (RS) in addition to cystoid macular edema and serous retinal detachment (SRD) in his left eye, and that an MH had developed during the clinical course. A convex surface was formed at the MH margin toward the vitreous cavity, and granular shadows were observed in the fluid cuff. Intraoperative findings revealed a thin epiretinal macular membrane (ERM) around the MH. Patient 2 was a 79-year-old male. Although the patient underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in both eyes, RS and a thin ERM in addition to SRD was observed in his left eye after surgery, and an MH developed during the clinical course. As in Patient 1, a convex surface was formed at the fluid cuff margin toward the vitreous cavity.

Conclusions

Both patients had persistent DME, SRD, RS, and a thin ERM before the development of the MH. OCT revealed the formation of a convex surface at the MH margin toward the vitreous cavity, suggesting that the fragility of the layered structure of the retina combined with tangential retinal traction may have been involved in the atypical MH form.