title: Intravitreal cellular infiltrate imaged as punctate spots by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in eyes with posterior segment inflammatory disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the posterior segment in cases of clinically evident intraocular inflammation for punctate reflections consistent with that expected to arise from inflammatory cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with ocular inflammatory diseases imaged with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were retrospectively reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 7 patients with mean age of 66.7 years, and the diagnosis was toxoplasmosis in 5 eyes, multiple evanescent white dot syndrome in 1 eye, and posttraumatic outer retinitis in 1 eye. At baseline, the SD-OCT showed vitreous cells as numerous punctate spots in the vitreous in all seven eyes. The SD-OCT also showed similar-sized hyperreflective dots in the retina in all seven eyes. During follow-up, reduced vitreous cellular infiltration was correlated with a decrease in the number of the punctate spots visible by SD-OCT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Eyes with intraocular inflammation had SD-OCT images of the vitreous containing punctate spots of a size consistent with that expected from inflammatory cells. Similarly sized punctate spots were seen within the retina in regions of retinitis. Additional characterization of the optical section should permit stereological estimations of actual cell counts per unit volume.
authors.affiliation: The LuEster T. Mertz Retinal Research Center, Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Irene A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Barbazetto
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Spaide
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002825:Chorioretinitis / Q000175:diagnosis; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014126:Toxoplasmosis, Ocular / Q000175:diagnosis; D015866:Uveitis, Posterior / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000473:pathology*