Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease is always bilateral: reports of unilateral cases failed to use choroidal investigations showing subclinical involvement of the fellow eye

Efficacy and Safety of Adalimumab for Exacerbation or Relapse of Ocular Inflammation in Patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease: A Multicenter Study

PURPOSE

We investigated efficacy and safety of adalimumab (ADA) treatment for exacerbation or recurrence of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) patients.

METHODS

Medical records of 70 VKH patients who received ADA treatment for more than 6 months were retrospectively investigated.

RESULTS

The mean age of VKH patients was 54.8 ± 15.1 years, and male/female ratio was 34/36, and sunset glow fundus was observed in 71.4%. Subfoveal choroidal thickness, indocyanine green angiography scores, and corticosteroid and cyclosporine doses were significantly reduced by ADA treatment for 6 months compared to baseline, while LogMAR and flare counts were also improved without being statistically significant. Adverse events were observed in 17.1%, in which tuberculosis was at 7.14% and psoriasis was at 2.86%; however, ADA treatment was continued in 91.4%.

CONCLUSIONS

ADA was shown to be effective to achieve remission of VKH disease refractory to conventional treatments and was generally well tolerated with few serious adverse events.

Stepwise approach for fundus imaging in the diagnosis and management of posterior uveitis

An array of retinochoroid imaging modalities aid in comprehensive evaluation of the immunopathological changes in the retina and choroid, forming the core component for the diagnosis and management of inflammatory disorders such as uveitis. The recent technological breakthroughs have led to the development of imaging platforms that can evaluate the layers of retina and choroid and the structural and functional alteration in these tissues. Ophthalmologists heavily rely on imaging modalities such as dye-based angiographies (fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography), optical coherence tomography, fundus autofluorescence, as well as dye-less angiography such as optical coherence tomography angiograph,y for establishing a precise diagnosis and understanding the pathophysiology of the diseases. Furthermore, these tools are now being deployed with a 'multimodal' approach for swift and accurate diagnosis. In this comprehensive review, we outline the imaging platforms used for evaluation of posterior uveitis and discuss the organized, algorithmic approach for the assessment of the disorders. Additionally, we provide an insight into disease-specific characteristic pathological changes and the established strategies to rule out disorders with overlapping features on imaging.

Adalimumab treatment for chronic recurrent Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease with sunset glow fundus: A multicenter study

PURPOSE

We investigated the efficacy and safety of adalimumab (ADA) treatment for chronic recurrent Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) patients with sunset glow fundus (SGF).

METHODS

Medical records of 50 chronic recurrent VKH patients with SGF who received ADA treatment for more than 6 months were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS

The mean age of chronic recurrent VKH patients with SGF was 55.9 ± 14.4 years, and the male/female ratio was 26/24. Before ADA treatment, the mean daily dose of systemic corticosteroids was 16.5 ± 12.7 mg, and 22 patients (44%) were under immunosuppressors. LogMAR visual acuity (VA), flare counts, subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), indocyanine green angiography scores, and corticosteroid and cyclosporine doses were significantly reduced by ADA treatment at 6 months compared to baseline. Among all parameters, flare count was significantly related to LogMAR VA. LogMAR VA was significantly related to flare counts but not to SFCT nor to ICGA scores. ADA treatment was continued in 94%.

CONCLUSION

ADA was shown to be effective in achieving remission of chronic recurrent VKH disease with SGF refractory to conventional treatments, and was generally well tolerated with few serious adverse events.

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease: the step-by-step approach to a better understanding of clinicopathology, immunopathology, diagnosis, and management: a brief review

BACKGROUND

Appraisals of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (VKH) have become progressively more complete, since its first description in 1906. The availability of new investigational methods has improved our knowledge of the immunopathology, clinicopathology, diagnosis, and management of VKH disease. This review aimed to describe some of the steps that led to better characterization of VKH as a clinical entity.

METHODS

We searched on PubMed for articles that described the history of VKH disease and analyzed the progress in disease appraisal with new investigational and imaging methods. In particular, we searched for articles that investigated the clinicopathology, diagnosis, and management of VKH.

FINDINGS

The following developments were considered essential for improving the appraisal and understanding of VKH: (1) the history of the disease, (2) immunopathological mechanisms, (3) clinicopathology, (4) the importance of distinguishing initial-onset from chronic disease, (5) relevant imaging modalities, among which indocyanine green angiography is crucial, (6) diagnostic criteria that facilitate early diagnosis, and (7) the need for early, prolonged, aggressive treatment that combines steroidal and non-steroidal immunosuppression.

CONCLUSION

Based on these findings, the definition of VKH has improved. VKH disease starts in the choroidal stroma and later involves other structures when it is not diagnosed and treated early. Indocyanine green angiography and enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography facilitate early diagnosis and precise monitoring of choroidal inflammation. ICGA is clearly the gold standard for appraisals and follow-ups in VKH disease, however EDI-OCT should be especially considered in those areas where ICGA is not fully available. These modalities have contributed substantially to a "cure" for VKH, when treatment is introduced within the therapeutic window of opportunity.

Initial-onset acute uveitis associated with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease presenting with unilateral exudative retinal detachment despite bilateral choroidal involvement

PURPOSE

To investigate the frequency of initial-onset acute uveitis associated with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease presenting with unilateral exudative retinal detachment.

METHODS

A retrospective case series.

RESULTS

During the period between January 1998 and December 2020, we identified 135 patients with initial-onset acute uveitis associated with VKH disease. Among them, 5 (3.7%) patients were referred to have unilateral uveitis due to the presence of exudative retinal detachment in only one eye. Optical coherence tomography confirmed the presence of unilateral exudative retinal detachment, however, indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) revealed characteristic findings of bilateral granulomatous choroidal inflammation typical for initial-onset acute uveitis associated with VKH disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with initial-onset acute uveitis associated with VKH disease can present with unilateral exudative retinal detachment. ICGA assessment of the choroid revealed the presence of subclinical involvement of the fellow eyes.

Classification of Non-Infectious and/or Immune Mediated Choroiditis: A Brief Overview of the Essentials

The choroid was poorly accessible to imaging investigation until the last decade of the last century. With the availability of more precise imaging methods such as indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) and, later, optical coherence tomography (OCT), enhanced depth OCT (EDI-OCT), and OCT angiography (OCTA), appraisal of choroidal inflammation has substantially gained in accuracy. This allowed to precisely determine which structures were touched in the different non-infectious choroiditis entities and made it possible to classify this group of diseases, ICGA signs, mainly hypofluorescent lesions, were identified and described. Previous publications have divided angiographic findings into two main sets of signs: (1) irregular “geographic” hypofluorescent areas corresponding to choriocapillaris non-perfusion and (2) round more regular, hypofluorescent dark dots more evenly distributed in the fundus corresponding to more deep choroidal stromal foci. These distinct findings allowed to subdivide and classify choroiditis into choriocapillaritis and stromal choroiditis. Additional signs were identified from EDI-OCT and OCTA examination supporting the classification of choroiditis into choriocapillaritis and stromal choroiditis. Results: Diseases involving principally the choriocapillaris included Multiple Evanescent White Dot Syndrome (MEWDS), Acute Posterior Multifocal Placoid Pigment Epitheliopathy (APMPPE), Idiopathic Multifocal Choroiditis (MFC), and Serpiginous Choroiditis (SC) as well as mixed forms. Diseases primarily involving the choroidal stroma included HLA-A29 Birdshot Retinochoroiditis (BRC), Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (VKH), Sympathetic Ophthalmia (SO), and Sarcoidosis chorioretinitis (SARC). Thanks to new imaging investigations of the choroid, it is now possible to classify and understand the diverse clinicopathological mechanisms in the group of non-infectious choroiditis entities.