[Toxic optic neuropathy due to cisplatin therapy: a case report]

Optic neuropathies presenting as bilateral disc oedema lead to a vast field of differential diagnosis; a toxic aetiology should be taken into consideration.

A 55-year-old patient with a non-metastatic pleuramesothelioma received cisplatin as palliative chemotherapy. Due to a unilateral high myopia on the left eye the patient has a severe anisometropic amblyopia. The patient complained about visual loss and changed colour vision. Visual acuity was 0.1 on the right eye and counting fingers on the left eye. The anterior parts of the eyes were unremarkable, the optic nerve head showed bilateral disc oedema. The MRI was free of tumour or signs of elevated intracranial pressure. Colour vision test Panel D-15 revealed a pathologic colour perception affecting the tetartan-axis. Perimetry showed a cecocentral and superior bundle scotoma.

The patient has been treated with methylprednisolone (Solu-Medrol) 500 mg i. v. 1 gr daily for three days, continued by 100 mg oral steroids successively reduced over a period of three weeks. After three weeks visual acuity increased to 0.3.

Toxic neuropathies including disc oedema, retinal oedema and optic neuritis are rare, but have been described as occasional side effects of treatment with cisplatin.