Adaptive Optics imaging patterns of retinal vasculitis.

Abstract

Purpose: To describe the morphologic features of eyes with retinal vasculitis using adaptive optics (AO) imaging

Methods: We analyzed the AO images (rtx1 camera, ImagineEye, Orsay, France) of a series of 12 eyes from 12 patients with various etiologies of retinal vasculitis (toxoplasmosis (n=3), multiple sclerosis (n=3), birdshot chorioretinopathy (n=2), and syphilis, dengue, sarcoidosis, and tuberculosis (n=1 each). We paid particular attention to perivascular opacification and changes in lumen diameter.

Results: Besides areas of paravascular opacification which was observed in all eyes, we identified by AO several novel features: glistening whitish dots similar to Gunn’s dots on the surface of retinal vessels (3 eyes); focal irregularities in the lumen diameter of arteries with (6 eyes) or without perivascular opacification (n=5); focal reduction of vein lumen with perivenous opacification (3 eyes).

Conclusions: AO imaging reveals novel patterns of fundus changes related to retinal vasculitis. An interesting finding was the frequent presence of focal narrowing of arterioles. Additional studies are needed to understand the significance of these features.