title: [Retrospective analysis of misdiagnosed amoebic keratitis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the clinical characteristic of amoebic keratitis and the cause of misdiagnosis retrospectively.
  
  
  METHODS
  Corneal pathological sections of 269 cases having been diagnosed as herpes simplex keratitis (HSK), bacterial keratitis and other microbial keratitis and then undergone penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) were reexamined to find the misdiagnosed cases of amoebic keratitis. The clinical characteristic efficacy of treatment and cause of misdiagnosis were retrospectively analyzed according to case history and photographs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on the pathological examination, 5 cases of amoebic keratitis were recognized which had been misdiagnosed, including HSK in 3 cases, fungal keratitis in 1 case and suppurative keratitis in 1 case previously. The main clinical characteristics were severe radiating neuralgia and ring-shaped stromal infiltrates. After PKP, infection of 3 cases were controlled, 2 cases were recurrent and underwent eyeball enucleation eventually.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of amoebic keratitis is not very low in China. It is necessary to pay high attention to this kind of disease, and its early and definite diagnosis is very important for the prevention of serious results.
authors.affiliation: Shandong Eye Institute, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.
authors.forename: Shaowei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lixin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Weiyun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wen
mesh_terms: D015823:Acanthamoeba Keratitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003315:Cornea / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies