Vitreoretinal interface anomalies in patients with a history of toxoplasmosis retinochoroiditis.

PURPOSE

To evaluate vitreoretinal interface anomalies over time in patients diagnosed with toxoplasmosis retinochoroiditis (TRC) and progression of the chronic disease.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective clinical study.

METHODS

The clinical records of 36 patients with TRC were studied retrospectively. All patients underwent standard ophthalmological examinations and optical coherence tomography (optical coherence tomography: OCT). Vitreoretinal interface changes and retinal layers in the macula and lesion area were evaluated.

RESULTS

The fovea was involved in 9 (25%) patients. OCT of the scar region showed retinal layer thinning and disorganization in all cases. Complete posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) was detected in 9 (25%) cases, incomplete PVD in 22 (61%) cases and no PVD in 5 (13.8%) cases. In 23 (63%) of the 36 patients with inactive TRC lesions, an epiretinal membrane (ERM) was detected by follow-up OCT, i.e., in 14 (60%) patients with incomplete PVD, 8 (34.7%) with complete PVD, and 1 (4%) with no PVD. Vitreoschisis was found in 5 of 22 patients with incomplete PVD; an ERM developed in 4 of these 5 patients. No ERM developed only in the macula, i.e., independent of the TRC scar region.

CONCLUSIONS

Vitreoretinal interface anomalies are common in patients diagnosed with TRC, including those with incomplete PVD. We observed no progression of vitreoretinal interface anomalies during the follow-up of patients diagnosed with TRC.