SD-OCT and autofluorescence characteristics of autoimmune retinopathy

To report abnormal fundus hyperautofluorescence (hyper-AF) and loss of outer retinal layers by spectral domain optical coherence tomography in patients with autoimmune retinopathy (AIR).

Retrospective, observational case series of 14 eyes of 7 patients diagnosed with an AIR for whom colour fundus photographs, fundus AF images and spectral domain optical coherence tomograms (SD-OCT) were obtained at presentation.

Seven patients were identified ranging in age from 24 to 73 years. Six had a history of cancer and were diagnosed with cancer associated retinopathy or melanoma associated retinopathy. Among the seven patients, six (86%) had abnormalities by AF or SD-OCT including loss of outer retinal layers in association with hyper-AF. One patient with melanoma associated retinopathy did not have any imaging abnormalities. In one patient with cancer associated retinopathy followed over 8 months, progressive loss of retinal architecture was associated with the formation of a hyper-AF ring.

Patients with AIR can present with structural abnormalities that are detectable by fundus AF and SD-OCT. The areas of hyper-AF correspond to loss of outer-retinal structures such as the inner segment/outer segment junction, the external limiting membrane and outer nuclear layer. These imaging modalities may be useful in establishing the diagnosis of this rare disease, monitoring disease progression and evaluating response to therapy.