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Torpedo maculopathy: Two case reports and a literature review
S de Manuel-Triantafilo1, P Gili1, J Bañuelos Bañuelos1
1Servicio de Oftalmología, Hospital Universitario Fundación Alcorcón, Alcorcón, Madrid, España.
Archivos De La Sociedad Espanola De Oftalmologia
|March 4, 2016
Summary
Torpedo maculopathy is a distinctive, asymptomatic macular lesion. It should be considered in the diagnosis of macular abnormalities in young patients.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Medical Imaging
- Retinal Diseases
Background:
- Torpedo maculopathy is a rare, congenital condition affecting the macula.
- It is characterized by a unique, torpedo-shaped defect in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE).
Observation:
- Two cases are presented: a 4-year-old boy and a 25-year-old female, both with 20/20 visual acuity.
- Both patients presented with unilateral, non-pigmented macular lesions temporal to the fovea.
- Optical coherence tomography revealed RPE signal attenuation, neurosensory detachment, RPE atrophy, and retinal thinning.
Findings:
- Fluorescein angiography demonstrated hypoautofluorescence and hyperfluorescence of the lesion.
- Histopathological examination confirmed the RPE defect and associated retinal changes.
Implications:
- Torpedo maculopathy is an asymptomatic finding, often discovered incidentally.
- It is crucial to include torpedo maculopathy in the differential diagnosis of macular lesions in pediatric and young adult populations.
- Accurate diagnosis prevents unnecessary investigations and anxiety for patients.
