title: [Serpiginous choroiditis: clinical course and treatment].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the clinical evolution and treatment of serpiginous choroiditis in 11 diagnosed patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study of 11 cases diagnosed with serpiginous choroiditis in our area, from 1980 to the present. We analyzed age at onset of symptoms, systemic diseases, ophthalmological symptoms at presentation, the location of lesions, initial and final visual acuity, recurrences, treatment régime and development of subretinal neovascularization. A complete ophthalmological examination and fluorescein angiograms were performed in all of them.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean period of follow-up was 4 years. Average age was 56 years, predominantly in men (10/1). Five patients had known ischemic cardiopathy and systemic hypertension, one patient underwent a kidney transplant. All of them were treated with oral prednisone (1-1.5 mg/kg/daily) in the active stages. Three patients received triple therapy (prednisone, cyclosporine and azathioprine) that did not prevent the recurrences. Five patients developed a subretinal neovascularization, bilateral in three of them.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The serpiginous choroiditis is a rare entity and the visual outcome prognosis is determined by the macular involvement. Men are predominantly affected in our series and corticosteroid treatment is effective in acute inflammatory episodes. Recurrences could not be prevented by triple therapy with immunosuppressive agents in our three patients.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Oftalmología, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, Spain. corelli@telefonica.net
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marcuello Melendo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Torrón Fernández-Blanco
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pérez Oliván
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ruiz Moreno
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferrer Novella
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Honrubia López
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002833:Choroiditis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies