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Updated: Apr 6, 2026
Multifocal Electroretinograms
Published on: December 4, 2011
MULTIMODAL IMAGING OF SYPHILITIC MULTIFOCAL RETINITIS
Andre L Curi1, David Sarraf, Emmett T Cunningham
1*Department of Ophthalmology, Instituto de Pesquisa Clinica Evandro Chagas, IPEC, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; †Retina Disorders and Ophthalmic Genetics Division, Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; ‡Department of Ophthalmology, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, California; §Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; ¶The Francis I. Proctor Foundation, UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco, California; ‖West Coast Retina Medical Group, San Francisco, California; and **Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare Center, Los Angeles, California.
Purpose:
To describe multimodal imaging of syphilitic multifocal retinitis.
Methods:
Observational case series.
Results:
Two patients developed multifocal retinitis after treatment of unrecognized syphilitic uveitis with systemic corticosteroids in the absence of appropriate antibiotic therapy. Multimodal imaging localized the foci of retinitis within the retina in contrast to superficial retinal precipitates that accumulate on the surface of the retina in eyes with untreated syphilitic uveitis. Although the retinitis resolved after treatment with systemic penicillin in both cases, vision remained poor in the patient with multifocal retinitis involving the macula.
Conclusion:
Treatment of unrecognized syphilitic uveitis with corticosteroids in the absence of antitreponemal treatment can lead to the development of multifocal retinitis. Multimodal imaging, and optical coherence tomography in particular, can be used to distinguish multifocal retinitis from superficial retinal precipitates or accumulations.
