UNILATERAL CHEMOSIS, BULLOUS SEROUS RETINAL DETACHMENT, AND PRESUMED BACILLARY LAYER DETACHMENT IN SEVERE PREECLAMPSIA

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

To report a case of unilateral chemosis, serous retinal detachment (SRD), and presumed bacillary layer detachment in pregnancy.

METHODS

Clinical examination and multimodal imaging findings were reviewed and analyzed.

RESULTS

A 17-year-old female patient with severe preeclampsia was found to have unilateral chemosis and bullous SRD. Postpartum optical coherence tomography revealed thickened choroid and presumed bacillary layer detachment. Two weeks later, chemosis and SRD resolved, leaving behind mottled hyperpigmentation, drusen, and subretinal drusenoid deposits.

CONCLUSION

The combination of chemosis and SRD in preeclampsia is exceedingly, rare and it has never previously been reported to occur unilaterally. With delivery, visual acuity, chemosis, choroidal thickness, and SRD all normalize.

Bilateral Exudative Retinal Detachments, Chemosis, and Impaired Ocular Motility in the Setting of Preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome

Purpose:

We present a complication of preeclampsia and hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet (HELLP) syndrome including bilateral exudative retinal detachments, bullous chemosis, and impaired ocular motility.

Methods:

The patient was followed in the inpatient and outpatient setting with clinical examinations, optical coherence tomography, widefield fundus photography, neuroimaging including magnetic resonance imaging of the brain/orbits, as well as carotid artery ultrasonography.

Results:

Our patient was admitted with bilateral vision changes in the setting of preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome and was found to have bilateral exudative detachments, retinal exudation, severe bullous chemosis, and impaired motility. She was started on intravenous dexamethasone followed by an extended prednisone taper with resolution of her ocular findings and return of her vision to baseline.

Conclusions:

There is evidence that HELLP syndrome and preeclampsia are proinflammatory syndromes. Aggressive blood pressure control, corticosteroids, and a multidisciplinary approach might accelerate visual and systemic recovery in these complex cases.

Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness and Associated Changes of Angiogenic Factors in Women with Severe Preeclampsia

OBJECTIVE

Severe preeclampsia complicates roughly 1% of all pregnancies. One defining feature of severe preeclampsia is new onset visual disturbance. The accessibility of the choroid to high-resolution, noninvasive imaging makes it a reasonable target of investigation for disease prediction, stratification, or monitoring in preeclampsia. This study aimed to compare subfoveal choroidal thickness between women with severe preeclampsia and those with normotensive pregnancies, and to investigate associations between such findings and other indicators of disease severity, including gestational age and serum angiogenic factors.

STUDY DESIGN

We designed a case-control study comprised of 36 women diagnosed with severe preeclampsia (cases) matched to 37 normotensive women (controls) by race/ethnicity and parity, all diagnosed in the postpartum period. All patients underwent enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and serum analysis.

RESULTS

Cases showed no difference in subfoveal choroidal thickness compared with controls (p = 0.65). Amongst cases, subfoveal choroidal thickness and gestational age at delivery were inversely related (r = 0.86, p < .001). There was a positive association of placental growth factor with subfoveal choroidal thickness amongst cases (r = 0.54, p = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

This study suggests a relationship between the degree of disease severity and the magnitude of choroidal thickening. We also show an association between this index and placental growth factor level in the postpartum period.

CHOROIDAL MORPHOLOGY IN A PATIENT WITH HELLP SYNDROME

PURPOSE

We report here, the morphological characteristics of the retina and choroid in a patient with hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets (HELLP) syndrome, who was not aware of her pregnancy before visiting our hospital.

METHODS

Case report.

RESULTS

The patient complained of visual disturbances in both eyes for a few days. Extensive serous retinal detachment and hyperreflective foci were observed in both eyes on spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT). Enhanced depth imaging technique using SDOCT revealed choroidal thickening and unclear choroidal vessel contour. Her blood pressure was 230/168 mmHg. Laboratory data showed hemolysis and liver dysfunction. Obstetrical examination disclosed her pregnancy. She was diagnosed as having HELLP syndrome. Because her general condition improved after prompt Cesarean delivery, the fundus lesions were rapidly resolved with choroidal thinning.

CONCLUSION

The eyes in a patient with HELLP syndrome showed characteristic choroidal morphology. The choroidal morphology shown with SDOCT might be one of the pathognomonic signs for a diagnosis of HELLP syndrome.

Elschnig's Spots in the Acute and Remission Stages in Preeclampsia: Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomographic Features

Purpose

Preeclampsia is a multisystem disorder defined as new onset of hypertension and proteinuria during the second half of pregnancy. Serous retinal detachment (SRD) is a known complication of preeclampsia caused by choroidal ischemia and subsequent disruption of blood-retinal barrier. Poor perfusion of the choriocapillaris causes Elschnig's spots. We aim to describe distinctive optical coherence tomography (OCT) features of a cluster of Elschnig's spots in a patient with severe preeclampsia during the acute and remission stages. We also present a summary of OCT features of preeclampsia patients with SRD.

Methods

Descriptive case report.

Results

V-shaped adhesions were observed at the location of each of the Elschnig's spots, the center of which showed disruption of the outer retinal bands (external limiting membrane, inner segment/outer segment junction layer), and the V-shaped outer parts remained tethered to retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-Bruch's complex by hyperreflective exudate on the surface of RPE. These features parallel the histopathologic features described earlier. In an experimental model, Elschnig's spots showed a gradient of RPE damage from the center to the periphery, where RPE was necrotic in the center and edematous in the periphery. Three months later, spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) showed focal RPE elevations at the location of each of the Elschnig's spots.

Conclusions

We illustrate the distinctive SD-OCT features of a cluster of Elschnig's spots in the acute and chronic stages of preeclampsia and demonstrate the correlation with the previously described histopathologic features. Despite the favorable visual outcome, irreversible tissue damage may occur, necessitating prompt diagnosis and immediate therapeutic intervention.

The prevalence of retinal and optical coherence tomography findings in preeclamptic women

PURPOSE

To evaluate retinal and optical coherence tomography findings and establish their prevalence in preeclamptic women.

METHODS

Twenty-seven preeclamptic women who underwent clinical examinations with both slit-lamp biomicroscopy and optical coherence tomography were prospectively studied.

RESULTS

Three of the 4 women (14.8%) identified by clinical examinations as having retinal findings related to preeclampsia had visual disturbances. Optical coherence tomography revealed retinal pathology in 2 women (7.4%) consisting of retinal edema, subretinal fluid, photoreceptors irregularities, and lesions at the retinal pigment epithelium level (Elschnig spots). The mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness was significantly higher in women with pathologic funduscopic findings (P = 0.009) than in women with normal eye examinations. All women with ocular findings had severe preeclampsia and higher systolic blood pressure than women without ocular findings (P = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of retinal involvement is high in severe preeclampsia and low in asymptomatic preeclampsia. Preeclamptic women diagnosed as having ocular involvement should be evaluated and monitored by optical coherence tomography, provided that their systemic condition allows it. Findings of retinal nerve fiber layer thickening in these women may indicate occult central nervous system involvement.