Frosted branch angiitis with penetrating ocular trauma and retained intraocular foreign body

Frosted Branch Angiitis; Case Series and Literature Review

PURPOSE

Frosted branch angiitis (FBA) is a rare form of retinal vasculitis. Four case series and an extensive literature review of 236 cases were conducted to clarify the characteristics of this rare condition.

METHODS

Case series and literature review.

RESULTS

An analysis of the reported cases revealed that a majority (54.6%) developed FBA in the presence of an underlying disease, with recurrence and complications requiring surgical intervention being rare. The frequency of bilateral occurrence (55.0%) and prevalence in female patients (45.0%) were noted to be lower than previously reported.

CONCLUSION

In general, idiopathic FBAs are more likely to be bilateral and diagnosed at a younger age than secondary FBAs. In idiopathic FBA, fundus involvement is more generalized, exudates tend to be more translucent, and extensive retinal hemorrhage tends to be less frequent. However, there were no differential characteristic fundus features that clearly distinguished idiopathic FBA from secondary FBA.

First clinical case series of frosted branch angiitis: A diagnostic algorithm is suggested

Key Clinical Message

FBA is a clinical diagnosis of a diverse spectrum, which needs a high index of suspicion to identify the possible specific etiologies. The zones of retinal involvement can help in predicting the final visual outcome. The proposed diagnostic algorithm facilitates meticulous evaluation and targeted treatment to improve the final visual outcome.

Abstract

Frosted branch angiitis is a clinical diagnosis of a diverse spectrum, which needs a high index of suspicion to identify the possible specific etiologies. We present a series of three cases of FBA with an attempt to formulate a diagnostic algorithm and refine the definition of FBA.

Frosted branch angiitis following corneal tear repair

We report a patient who developed frosted branch angiitis (FBA) and was diagnosed 1 month after the penetrating eye injury (PEI) repair. A 31-year-old male with no systemic comorbidities presented with defective vision following trauma to his left eye while cutting wood. His best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/200. Anterior segment examinations showed a zone I full-thickness corneal tear with iris tissue incarceration. There was no clinical evidence of intraocular foreign body (IOFB) or endophthalmitis. He underwent PEI repair with iris abscission on the same day with intracameral moxifloxacin injection. His BCVA on postoperative day 45 was 20/200. Examination showed a resolving vitreous hemorrhage, venous tortuosity, and retinal perivascular infiltration affecting the venules from the posterior pole up to the periphery. He was treated with oral and topical steroids. The clinical signs resolved completely and BCVA improved to 20/20 after 1 month of treatment. FBA can complicate the recovery of eyes after PEI repair, even in the absence of endophthalmitis or sympathetic ophthalmia. A thorough search for IOFB or its tell-tale signs should be done in such eyes.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Mumps-Associated Outer Retinitis with Frosted Branch Angiitis

PURPOSE

To describe a case of outer retinitis with frosted branch angiitis associated with mumps infection treated with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy.

METHODS

Observational case report.

CASE REPORT

A four-year-old boy with bilateral blindness was diagnosed with necrotizing outer retinitis with frosted branch angiitis associated with serologically confirmed mumps virus infection. He was treated with HBO therapy. Visual acuity subsequently improved to 20/40 in the right eye and to 20/320 in the left eye. Sequential follow-up optical coherence tomography examinations showed progressive recovery of the outer retinal layers in the right eye.

CONCLUSION

HBO therapy appears to be a feasible and safe treatment that might improve the anatomical and functional outcome in patients with mumps retinitis.