Abstract
Background: We describe the spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) findings in three patients with acute syphilitic posterior placoid chorioretinitis (ASPPC). The SD-OCT images demonstrate the pathologic changes in ASPPC with a high level of anatomic detail and may provide information about the pathophysiology of the disease. Findings: We report a series of three consecutive patients seen at the Wilmer Eye Institute in 2012 and 2013 who presented with clinical and laboratory findings consistent with a diagnosis of unilateral ASPPC. Two of the three patients had HIV co-infection with good immune recovery. SD-OCT images from their initial (pre-treatment) presentation demonstrated thickening and hyperreflective nodularity of the choroid-retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) complex, with focal disruption of the overlying photoreceptor inner segment-outer segment junction in the areas corresponding to the retinal lesions seen on clinical examination. These changes improved with intravenous antibiotic treatment over a 3-month period of follow-up. Conclusions: SD-OCT imaging in ASPPC demonstrates reversible, focal thickening, and nodularity of the RPE with disruption of the overlying photoreceptor inner segment-outer segment junction. We believe that these SD-OCT images support the concept that ASPPC involves an inflammatory process at the level of the choroid-RPE with resultant structural and functional changes in the retinal photoreceptors. Further study with OCT imaging may be helpful in better understanding this disease.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 2 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-5 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of Ophthalmic Inflammation and Infection |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2014 |
Keywords
- Chorioretinis
- Optical coherence tomography
- Photoreceptor
- Retinal pigment epithelium
- Syphilis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ophthalmology
- Infectious Diseases