title: A multicenter study of Pneumocystis choroidopathy.
abstract: We studied 21 patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and presumed Pneumocystic carinii choroidopathy. The lesions were characteristically yellow to pale yellow in color, appeared at the level of the choroid, and were found in the posterior pole. They varied in size from 300 to 3,000 microns, initially increasing in number before treatment and eventually resolving after systemic antimicrobial therapy. Of the 21 patients, 18 (86%) had received inhaled pentamidine as prophylaxis against Pneumocystis pneumonia. Visual acuity and visual field testing showed little evidence of retinal destruction. Survival after the diagnosis of the choroidopathy ranged from two to 36 weeks. Pneumocystic choroidopathy offers an easily accessible clue to disseminated Pneumocystis infection. When comparing drugs for Pneumocystis prophylaxis, careful ocular examination can provide one indicator of the relative efficacy of protection against extrapulmonary disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Pacific Presbyterian Medical Center, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Shami
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Friedberg
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Siderides
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Listhaus
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ai
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D000328:Adult; D015862:Choroid Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000401:mortality; D004333:Drug Administration Routes; D015821:Eye Infections, Fungal / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010419:Pentamidine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011010:Pneumocystis; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D011379:Prognosis; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014794:Visual Fields
chemical_list: D010419:Pentamidine; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination