[Multimodal imaging in the diagnosis of acute macular neuroretinopathy].

INTRODUCTION

Acute macular neuroretinopathy is a retinal disease, usually presenting with a "normal fundus". Thus, this condition can be mistaken for optic neuropathy. Herein we present five clinical cases of patients affected with acute macular neuroretinopathy; one of them is a retrospective diagnosis while the others were diagnosed on initial examination. In the five cases, multimodal imaging with infrared photography and OCT helped to establish the diagnosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Retrospective study of five clinical cases. Initial and final best visual acuities as well as infrared and OCT imaging were collected for all patients.

RESULTS

All patients initially reported a visual disturbance associated with a more or less severe decrease in visual acuity. Infrared imaging showed a dark, perifoveolar appearance of the lesions. In all cases, OCT images showed thickening and hyperreflectivity of the outer plexiform layer, extending towards the outer retinal layers.

CONCLUSION

Acute macular neuroretinopathy is a clinical entity that has been long-described, which now benefits widely from new imaging technologies, allowing an earlier and more accurate diagnosis, but calling into question the actual name of this condition. The exact pathophysiology of the condition remains nonetheless incompletely elucidated.