title: Focal posterior pole viral retinitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the clinical features of an atypical form of viral retinitis in immunocompetent patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective noncomparative case series. The charts of 8 patients diagnosed with and treated for focal posterior viral retinitis were reviewed. Clinical and demographic features were evaluated. All the patients had extensive laboratory tests, fundus fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography of macula, and polymerase chain reaction of vitreous.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All the patients were referred to our Uveitis Service from other hospitals, as their uveitis symptoms deteriorated in spite of treatment. The mean age of 4 male and 4 female patients was 32.1 years (range, 22-42 years). The mean follow-up period was 10 months (range, 6-18 months). All of the patients had unilateral disease. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of vitreous specimen was positive for herpes simplex virus-1 in 5 patients and varicella zoster virus in 3 patients. Retinitis resolved after systemic acyclovir treatment in all patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Viral etiology must be borne in mind in the differential diagnosis of atypical retinitis. It can be a milder form of viral retinitis like focal viral retinitis, as mentioned in this study. The prognosis of this disease is better than the other forms of necrotizing retinopathies involving a larger area of retina.
authors.affiliation: 1st Ophthalmology Department, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Ministry of Health, Ankara, Turkey. dicleoncel@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Dicle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hazirolan
authors.forename: Gulten
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sungur
authors.forename: Necati
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.forename: Remzi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kasim
authors.forename: Sunay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duman
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D015828:Eye Infections, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D006563:Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012173:Retinitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000821:virology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004279:DNA, Viral; D000212:Acyclovir