Bilateral Uveitis with Exudative Retinal Detachment: Angiographic Appearance

In four patients with bilateral uveitis and exudative retinal detachments, corticosteroid therapy was not always effective. Although fluorescein angiography did not reveal the precise cause of these nonrhegmatogenous retinal detachments, the angiographs had a characteristic appearance. Fluorescent dye permeated the choroidal vasculature through the Bruch membrane and the retinal pigment epithelium and entered the subretinal space, thereby elevating the sensory retina. Retinal vascular extravasation was not observed. When the inflammatory reaction subsided, abnormal leakage of dye also ceased, and the sensory retina reattached. The literature on exudative retinal detachments is reviewed, and the various causes are discussed.