OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY FEATURES IN IDIOPATHIC NONINFECTIOUS INTERMEDIATE, POSTERIOR, OR PANUVEITIS

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Retinal Diseases

Background:

• Idiopathic intermediate, posterior, and panuveitis are inflammatory eye conditions.
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is crucial for diagnosing and monitoring retinal diseases.
• Understanding OCT features in uveitis can guide treatment and predict outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings in patients with idiopathic intermediate, posterior, or panuveitis.
• To assess the changes in OCT features over time with treatment initiation.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case series of 94 eyes (55 patients) with idiopathic intermediate, posterior, or panuveitis.
• Data collected from four tertiary care centers between 2010 and 2021.
• Analysis of central macular thickness, intraretinal/subretinal fluid, epiretinal membranes, and ellipsoid zone abnormalities on en-face OCT.

Main Results:

• Median central macular thickness decreased from 284 µm to 267 µm.
• Intraretinal fluid and subretinal fluid decreased, while epiretinal membranes increased.
• Ellipsoid zone abnormalities on en-face OCT were present in 34% at baseline and 19% at follow-up, associated with worse visual acuity.

Conclusions:

• OCT features in uveitis show dynamic changes with treatment.
• Ellipsoid zone abnormalities at presentation correlate with poorer visual acuity.
• While fluid resolves, epiretinal membrane formation may increase in these uveitic conditions.