Bilateral choroidal tuberculoma in miliary tuberculosis - report of a case

Uveitic Granulomas Masquerading as Ocular Tumors

Introduction

Solitary uveal lesions confer a diagnostic challenge to ophthalmologists. Uveitic lesions most abundantly appear amelanotic and commonly involve the choroid. Most amelanotic choroidal lesions are either neoplastic or inflammatory in origin. In our study, we aimed to describe six uveitic granuloma cases, which were referred to a tertiary ophthalmology center as intraocular tumors.

Methods

Retrospective chart review of 6 patients (7 eyes) who had uveitic granulomas and were referred to a tertiary ophthalmology center as having intraocular tumors.

Results

Mean age on presentation was 47 ± 12.5 years. One lesion was involving the ciliary body only, five lesions had pure choroidal involvement, and one had ciliochoroidal involvement. Mean visual acuity on presentation was 1.7 ± 0.75 (Snellen = 20/1,000) and ranged from 20/80 to light perception. Mean basal diameter of all lesions was 7.7 ± 1.8 mm. Three lesions had moderate echogenicity, two lesions were low to moderate echoic, and one lesion had moderate to high echogenicity on ultrasonography. Three lesions were associated with retinal detachments. Five eyes showed an early hypofluorescence with late hyperfluorescence. Leakage of fluorescein at borders was noticed in 3 lesions. Final diagnosis was presumed intraocular tuberculosis in 4 patients, probable ocular sarcoidosis in 1 patient, and idiopathic solitary uveitic granulomas in 1 patient. Upon treatment, the vision improved to 0.3 ± 0.27 (Snellen = 20/40) and ranged from 20/20 to 20/100 after 4.7 ± 2.9 years of follow-up.

Conclusions

Uveitic granulomas can demonstrate features of ocular tumors. Proper uveitis management leads to a favorable visual outcome and ocular preservation.

Clinical features and long-term treatment outcomes in choroidal tuberculoma

PURPOSE

To investigate the clinical features and treatment outcomes of patients with choroidal tuberculoma.

METHODS

In this retrospective, observational case series, the medical records of five patients with choroidal tuberculoma who were followed up at a university hospital for at least 6 months were analyzed.

RESULTS

Of five patients, one was male and four were female. The overall mean age was 38.0 ± 9.4 years (mean follow-up: 41.2 ± 33.8 months). Tuberculin skin test was performed in three patients, and it was positive in two of them. Interferon-gamma assay was performed in two patients and was positive in all two. Three patients had systemic tuberculosis involving the lung or other organs. Five patients were treated with antitubercular therapy for a period of 9.6 ± 8.6 months. Systemic corticosteroid treatment was performed in 3 patients, with a period of 3.5 ± 0.7 months. One patient with a recurrent vascularized tuberculoma was successfully treated with single intravitreal bevacizumab injection.

CONCLUSION

Choroidal tuberculoma can develop without evidence of systemic tuberculosis and can recur despite antitubercular treatment. High index of suspicion is important in early detection, and management of choroidal tuberculoma. In cases of suspected choroidal tuberculoma, positive results on immunological tests would be sufficient to initiate antitubercular therapy even if radiological evidence of systemic tuberculosis is not found. Antitubercular therapy combined with systemic corticosteroids provided favorable results. Intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor may be considered for highly vascularized choroidal tuberculoma.

Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis—An Update on the Diagnosis, Treatment and Drug Resistance

Pathogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex organisms (MTBC) primarily cause pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB); however, MTBC are also capable of causing disease in extrapulmonary (EP) organs, which pose a significant threat to human health worldwide. Extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) accounts for about 20–30% of all active TB cases and affects mainly children and adults with compromised immune systems. EPTB can occur through hematogenous, lymphatic, or localized bacillary dissemination from a primary source, such as PTB, and affects the brain, eye, mouth, tongue, lymph nodes of neck, spine, bones, muscles, skin, pleura, pericardium, gastrointestinal, peritoneum, and the genitourinary system as primary and/or disseminated disease. EPTB diagnosis involves clinical, radiological, microbiological, histopathological, biochemical/immunological, and molecular methods. However, only culture and molecular techniques are considered confirmatory to differentiate MTBC from any non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species. While EPTB due to MTBC responds to first-line anti-TB drugs (ATD), drug susceptibility profiling is an essential criterion for addressing drug-resistant EPTB cases (DR-EPTB). Besides antibiotics, adjuvant therapy with corticosteroids has also been used to treat specific EPTB cases. Occasionally, surgical intervention is recommended, mainly when organ damage is debilitating to the patient. Recent epidemiological studies show a striking increase in DR-EPTB cases ranging from 10–15% across various reports. As a neglected disease, significant developments in rapid and accurate diagnosis and better therapeutic interventions are urgently needed to control the emerging EPTB situation globally. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in the clinical diagnosis, treatment, and drug resistance of EPTB.

Large exudative retinal detachment with choroidal granuloma unmasking disseminated tuberculosis: imaging and management

A 26-year-old man presented with diminution of vision in the left eye associated with malaise and occasional mild fever. On fundus examination, the patient had left eye inferior bullous retinal detachment with choroidal granuloma. Systemic examination revealed a non-tender swelling on the right wrist. Correlating ophthalmic and systemic findings, a presumptive diagnosis of left eye exudative retinal detachment with choroidal tuberculoma and tubercular osteomyelitis of the right wrist was made. On imaging, asymptomatic multiorgan involvement was observed in the chest, abdomen and spine. The patient was started on antitubercular treatment along with peribulbar steroid. A reduction in size of exudative retinal detachment and tuberculoma with improvement in vision was noted on serial follow-ups. This case highlights the importance of thorough systemic evaluation in cases of ocular tuberculosis as the eye may not be the primary site but the early presenting feature of disseminated tuberculosis. Local posterior subtenon can be used for faster resolution of exudative retinal detachment and intraocular inflammation.

Presumed Intraocular Tuberculosis Manifesting as Unilateral Iris Granuloma

Ocular tuberculosis can manifest in a wide variety of clinical presentations. The prevalence is higher in endemic areas as a cause of granulomatous uveitis. While posterior segment manifestations are well known, anterior segment granulomas alone are relatively rare. We report two cases of unilateral iris granulomata in two young patients who presented with decreased vision and redness and were found to have well-circumscribed iris granulomas. Both underwent systemic evaluation and had a negative Mantoux test. Biopsy pathology of the lesions revealed granulomatous inflammation but were negative for PCR, staining, and culture for TB. One patient turned out to have multiple pulmonary lesions. The ocular condition initially worsened with steroid therapy alone and improved and resolved completely after starting a 9 months course of anti-tubercular therapy (ATT).

Asymptomatic choroidal tubercle in a patient with Crohn's disease on adalimumab treatment

INTRODUCTION

Adalimumab, an anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha therapy for active Crohn's disease (CD), is associated with increased risks of tuberculosis infection.

CASE REPORT

The case is presented of a 48 year-old male with active CD on treatment with adalimumab. After three months, he developed a miliary pulmonary tuberculosis infection, with a solitary non-reactive choroidal tubercle temporal-superior to the optic disc being found in an ophthalmological study. Fluorescein angiography showed late hyperfluorescence in a staining pattern. Optic coherence tomography showed a flat mass without serous retinal detachment. The choroidal tubercle slowly regressed with antituberculosis therapy.

DISCUSSION

Choroidal tubercles with no vitreo-retinal symptomatology can be present in patients with CD and on treatment with adalimumab.

Splenic tuberculosis and multifocal serpiginoid choroiditis

Serpiginoid multifocal choroiditis is a distinct morphological identity with a reported causal association with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We report a case of serpiginoid multifocal choroiditis in a 17-year-old boy who was suffering from isolated splenic tuberculosis. He was treated with systemic steroids along with anti-tubercular treatment with good visual recovery. This case was unique as no other organs except spleen and choroid showed tubercular involvement. We hereby emphasize association of extrapulmonary sites with multifocal serpiginoid choroiditis and propose a thorough investigation for primary to be included in routine protocol of choroiditis workup.

Infectious uveitis: An enigma

Infectious uveitis accounts for majority of the cases of uveitis in developing countries. It also encompasses an array of various microorganisms and their clinical presentations. Some of these infectious uveitic entities are familiar, while others are newly emerging in the global ophthalmic world. Many of these entities are also a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and appropriate, timely management is required to save not the eye, but life of the patient. This review highlights the ocular manifestations of various infectious uveitic entities, relevant to the ophthalmologist.

Tuberculous Subretinal Abscess in a Non-HIV Patient with Miliary Tuberculosis

This case report describes the features of a tuberculous subretinal abscess in a non-HIV patient. It includes the characterization of the lesion with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and fundus autofluorescence examination. SD-OCT and autofluorescence imaging showed external retinal involvement during development of the tuberculous subretinal abscess. Patients with tuberculous lesions need a multidisciplinary approach, since the disease may involve any part of the body. In this case in particular, incidental findings at computed tomography scan led to the detection of this rare ocular manifestation of tuberculous disease.

Bilateral multiple choroidal granulomas and systemic vasculitis as presenting features of tuberculosis in an immunocompetent patient

Background

Multiple choroidal granulomas are a rare presentation of tuberculosis. Choroidal granulomas in immunocompetent patients can pose difficulty in diagnosis as in most cases systemic examination may not reveal any evidence of tuberculosis. We report a case of bilateral multiple choroidal granulomas with systemic vasculitis-like features and disseminated tuberculosis in an immunocompetent patient without pulmonary involvement.

Findings

A 26-year-old male Indian patient presented with bilateral blurred vision and systemic illness with vasculitis-like features. Examination revealed bilateral multiple choroidal granulomas and multisystem involvement without pulmonary involvement. Aqueous tap was positive for mycobacterium by polymerase chain reaction along with tissue biopsy leading to diagnosis. There was a good systemic and ocular response to anti-tubercular therapy with resolution of lesions.

Conclusions

Our case emphasizes that, although uncommon, tuberculosis can involve multiple organs without pulmonary involvement and may mimic systemic vasculitis, it is not mandatory to have pulmonary findings for a confirmation of tuberculosis. Timely diagnosis with appropriate treatment can improve systemic and ocular disease.