Retinal pigment epithelial changes in chronic Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease: fundus autofluorescence and spectral domain-optical coherence tomography findings.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine whether fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging allow better assessment of retinal pigment epithelium and the outer retina in subjects with chronic Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease compared with examination and angiography alone.


METHODS
A cross-sectional analysis of a series of seven consecutive patients with chronic Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease undergoing FAF and SD-OCT was conducted. Chronic disease was defined as duration of intraocular inflammation >3 months. Color fundus photographs were correlated to FAF and SD-OCT images. The images were later correlated to fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography.


RESULTS
All patients had sunset glow fundus, which resulted in no apparent corresponding abnormality on FAF or SD-OCT. Lesions with decreased autofluorescence signal were observed in 11 eyes (85%), being associated with loss of the retinal pigment epithelium and involvement of the outer retina on SD-OCT. In 5 eyes (38%), some of these lesions were very subtle on clinical examination but easily detected by FAF. Lesions with increased autofluorescence signal were seen in 8 eyes (61.5%), showing variable involvement of the outer retina on SD-OCT and corresponding clinically to areas of retinal pigment epithelium proliferation and cystoid macular edema.


CONCLUSIONS
Combined use of FAF and SD-OCT imaging allowed noninvasive delineation of retinal pigment epithelium/outer retina changes in patients with chronic Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, which were consistent with previous histopathologic reports. Some of these changes were not apparent on clinical examination.
Vasconcelos-Santos
Daniel V
DV
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Sohn
Elliott H
EH
Sadda
Srinivas
S
Rao
Narsing A
NA
D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004396:Coloring Agents; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D008297:Male; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014607:Uveomeningoencephalitic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D014792:Visual Acuity
D004396:Coloring Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D007208:Indocyanine Green