Abstract
Purpose :
To describe 3-year interval changes in spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) features of Ebola-associated retinal abnormalities.
Methods :
In June 2015, the Partnership for Research on Ebola Virus in Liberia (PREVAIL), a clinical research arrangement between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Liberian Ministry of Health, established an eye clinic in Monrovia, Liberia to evaluate survivors of Ebola virus disease (EVD) and their close contacts. The PREVAIL III 5-year longitudinal Ebola Natural History eye sub-study was initiated to determine the incidence and characteristics of ophthalmic sequelae in Ebola-associated eye disease.
Confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope (cSLO) with multimodal capability was used to document posterior segment ocular pathology discovered in EVD survivors at baseline. Characteristic Ebola-specific lesions were identified in multicolor, infrared (IR) and blue channel reflectance, and fundus autofluorescence images (AF). Cross-sectional three-dimensional views of these EVD-specific lesions were obtained using the cSLO’s SD-OCT module.
Results :
We identified images of ten Ebola-specific lesions in eight eyes of seven study subjects who presented in July 2015 and again in September 2018. The Heidelberg Spectralis was utilized in multiple modalities, including multicolor, IR, blue channel reflectance, AF, and SD-OCT, to capture the lesions.
At the initial presentation, Ebola-specific lesions demonstrated a shadowing or loss of the ellipsoid (IS/OS junction) and interdigitation zones on SD-OCT. Three-year follow-up scans demonstrates reconstitution of these two outer retinal layers. No EVD-specific lesions were found in the fovea in these participants.
Conclusions :
Ebola-associated retinal lesions characteristically spare the fovea and, after three years, demonstrate outer retinal reconstitution.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.