Indocyanine green angiography in ocular tuberculosis

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Ocular tuberculosis presents diagnostic challenges, particularly in evaluating choroidal involvement.
• Fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) is a standard imaging technique, but its efficacy in delineating choroidal lesions in tuberculosis may be limited.

Observation:

• This study investigated indocyanine green (ICG) angiography alongside FFA in two patients with ocular tuberculosis.
• ICG angiography revealed more extensive choroidal tuberculomas than FFA in both patients.
• Lesions visualized by ICG angiography showed persistence but reduced hypofluorescence after treatment.

Findings:

• ICG angiography demonstrated superior sensitivity in detecting and characterizing the extent of choroidal tuberculomas compared to FFA.
• The hypofluorescent nature of lesions on ICG angiography correlated with choroidal involvement in ocular tuberculosis.
• Post-treatment changes in lesion hypofluorescence observed with ICG angiography suggest its utility in monitoring therapeutic response.

Implications:

• ICG angiography is a valuable tool for assessing the full extent of choroidal involvement in ocular tuberculosis.
• This imaging modality can aid in staging the disease and evaluating the effectiveness of treatment regimens.
• Incorporating ICG angiography may improve diagnostic accuracy and patient management in cases of ocular tuberculosis.