RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Ultrastructural and clinical evidence of subretinal debris accumulation in type 2 macular telangiectasia
JF British Journal of Ophthalmology
JO Br J Ophthalmol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
SP 1404
OP 1409
DO 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2011-301009
VO 96
IS 11
A1 Svetlana Cherepanoff
A1 Murray C Killingsworth
A1 Meidong Zhu
A1 Timothy Nolan
A1 Alex P Hunyor
A1 Stephanie H Young
A1 Gregory S Hageman
A1 Mark C Gillies
YR 2012
UL http://bjo.bmj.com/content/96/11/1404.abstract
AB Aims To describe subretinal debris found on ultrastructural examination in an eye with macular telangiectasia (MacTel) type 2 and on optical coherence tomography (OCT) in a subset of patients with MacTel type 2. Methods Blocks from the mid-periphery and temporal perifovea of an eye with clinically documented MacTel type 2 were examined with electron microscopy (EM). Cases came from the Sydney centre of the MacTel project and the practices of the authors. Results On EM examination, subretinal debris was found in the perifovea with accumulation of degenerate photoreceptor elements in the subretinal space. Despite the substantial subretinal debris, there was minimal retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) reaction. Focal defects were seen in the inner limiting membrane in the perifovea. Of the 65 Sydney MacTel project participants, three (5%) had prominent yellow material at the fovea. OCT revealed smooth mounds between the RPE and the ellipsoid region. The material was hyperautofluorescent. Conclusions This study suggests that subretinal accumulation of photoreceptor debris may be a feature of MacTel type 2. Ultrastructural and OCT evidence of disease beyond the vasculature, involving photoreceptors and Muller cells, is presented.