Serpiginous choroidopathy presenting as choroidal neovascularisation
- D K Lee1,
- W Augustin2,
- R R Buggage2,
- E B Suhler2
- 1Department of Ophthalmology, Jonas Friendenwald Ophthalmic Institute at Maryland General Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA
- 2Laboratory of Immunology, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Correspondence to: Ronald R Buggage, MD, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bldg 10, Room 10N112, Bethesda, MD 20892–1857, USA; BuggageR{at}nei.nih.gov
- Accepted 30 October 2002
Serpiginous choroidopathy is an insidious, relentlessly progressive, idiopathic inflammatory disease affecting the retinal pigment epithelium and inner choroid. Choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) is a well recognised late complication of serpiginous choroidopathy in 10–25% of affected patients.1 In all previously reported cases CNV was recognised at the time of or after the diagnosis of serpiginous choroidopathy was established.2–4 We report a patient presenting with CNV who subsequently developed clinical findings characteristic of serpiginous choroidopathy.
Case report
A 31 year old man presented with decreased vision in his right eye in July 1997. Examination revealed acuities of 20/40 right eye and 20/20 left eye with normal anterior segments. The right fundus showed subretinal fluid and haemorrhage adjacent to the disc (Fig 1A). The left eye showed an irregularity superior to the optic disc (Fig 1B). The vitreous and fundi were otherwise normal bilaterally. Fluorescein angiography (Fig 2A, B) revealed peripapillary choroidal neovascular membranes in both eyes that were treated with argon laser …
