Multifocal electroretinogram in desferrioxamine-related macular toxicity.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study was to evaluate focal macular function by using multifocal electroretinography in a patient presenting with features of desferrioxamine maculopathy.


METHODS
This is an observational case-control study of a 74-year-old man taking desferrioxamine mesylate 40 mg/kg/d 4 to 5 times a week as an iron-chelating agent for 5 years. Desferrioxamine-related ocular toxicity presenting as bilaterally symmetrical pigmentary maculopathy was diagnosed by clinical examination and relevant history. Retinopathy was further corroborated with full-field electroretinography and multifocal electroretinography using VERIS Science 5.1 with Burian-Allen bipolar contact lens electrodes. First-order kernels were calculated and analyzed from six zones at different retinal eccentricities around the fovea.


RESULTS
Clinical and electrophysiological investigations showed a bilaterally symmetric picture of desferrioxamine maculopathy, with P1 and N1 on multifocal electroretinography showing significantly reduced amplitudes and prolonged implicit times in both the eyes as compared with age-matched controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Maculotoxicity may be the presenting feature of desferrioxamine toxicity, and multifocal electroretinography allows simultaneous measurements of multiple focal macular responses in these cases.
From the "Bhagwan Mahavir Vitreo-Retinal Services, " Medical Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Parveen
P
Sen
Muna
M
Bhende
Priya
P
Ravi
Rupak
R
Roy