Peripheral retinoschisis and exudative retinal detachment in pars planitis.
OBJECTIVE
To review and describe bullous retinoschisis and exudative retinal detachment in patients with pars planitis.


METHODS
Retrospective, multicenter study of patients with pars planitis who presented with retinoschisis and exudative retinal detachments.


RESULTS
The authors describe 13 eyes of 9 patients with pars planitis who presented with inferior peripheral retinoschisis and/or exudative retinal detachment. Four patients were male; five were female. Patients' ages ranged from 8 years to 35 years (median, 12 years). The follow-up interval ranged from 1 month to 10 years (median, 4 years). These peripheral retinal elevations had a tendency to remain stable, although those with telangiectatic vessels or vasoproliferative tumors occasionally demonstrated an increase in accumulation of exudate. Treatment of such eyes with cryotherapy, or low-dose plaque radiotherapy, resulted in vasoproliferative tumor and telangiectatic vessel regression, absorption of the hard exudate, and resolution of the retinal elevation in four of five eyes. One patient had spontaneous regression of the retinoschisis cavity over a 4-year period.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with pars planitis may present with bullous retinoschisis and/or exudative retinal detachment. These findings may be related to a Coats disease-like vascular response (telangiectatic vessels and vasoproliferative tumors) secondary to chronic inflammation. Treatment of the vascular leakage tended to result in resolution of the detachment and/or schisis.
Pollack
Aryeh L
AL
California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
McDonald
H Richard
HR
Johnson
Robert N
RN
Ai
Everett
E
Irvine
Alexander R
AR
Lahey
J Michael
JM
Lewis
Hilel
H
Rodriguez
Alvaro
A
Ryan
Edwin H
EH
Shields
Carol L
CL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001918:Brachytherapy; D002648:Child; D017679:Cryotherapy; D005122:Exudates and Transudates; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015868:Pars Planitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D041441:Retinoschisis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014792:Visual Acuity