Long-Term Outcomes of Birdshot Chorioretinopathy Treated with Corticosteroids: A Case Reports.

PURPOSE: To report the progression of patients diagnosed with birdshot chorioretinopathy (BSCR) initially treated with corticosteroids. METHODS: We included 39 BSCR patients that were followed for ≥1 year. We analyzed their progression under treatment after 1, 3, 6 months, 1 year, and at the end of follow-up. In order to determine the efficiency of initial loading doses, patients were classified into two groups according to their initial treatment: methylprednisolone followed by prednisone (n = 28) and prednisone alone (n = 11). RESULTS: At the end of follow-up, 31/39 (79.5%) patients had reached inflammation control. Thirteen out of 28 (46.4%) and 6/11 (54.5%) patients were treated exclusively with corticosteroids, and 18/19 (94.7%) of them had reached inflammation control at the end of follow-up; their mean (range) corticosteroid dose was 3.5 (0-10) mg/day. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the prolonged corticosteroid therapy treatment strategy resulted in inflammation control in half of BSCR patients. This control was maintained with low doses of cortisone, usually <5 mg/day.

Acute Retinal Necrosis: Virological Features Using Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction, Therapeutic Management, and Clinical Outcomes.

PURPOSE: To evaluate outcomes of patients treated with intensive intravitreal therapy and to describe the evolution of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in patients treated for acute retinal necrosis (ARN) syndrome. DESIGN: Retrospective observational case series. METHODS: This study included 25 eyes of 24 patients with ARN who were treated and followed up in 2 departments of ophthalmology in Lyon, France. Assessed outcomes included qPCR viral load profile during treatment, number of antiviral intravitreal injections (IVT), retinal detachment rate, and best-corrected visual acuity. RESULTS: Final visual acuity was 20/200 or less in 20% of cases; the rate of retinal detachment was 16%. Viral load kinetics changed in 3 phases: a first plateau period that was not consistent, a logarithmic decrease phase, and a negativation phase. Mean decay of the logarithm of the viral load was estimated at 0.076 per day; mean time of negativation was 56.1 days. Median IVT number was 9 (range, 0-28). Ten patients were treated with injections until the viral load was undetectable. Resistance to acyclovir was observed in a patient with a prolonged initial plateau of the viral load. CONCLUSIONS: Numerous and prolonged IVTs, used as adjunctive therapy, could improve the prognosis of treated patients by decreasing the risk of retinal detachment and improving visual acuity. QPCR enables monitoring of the response to treatment and can provide evidence for resistance to antiviral treatment by enabling the detection of cases with a prolonged initial plateau of viral load.

Efficacy of Methylprednisolone Pulse Followed by Oral Prednisone in Birdshot Chorioretinopathy.

PURPOSE: To report the outcomes of initial methylprednisolone pulse then oral prednisone in the treatment of birdshot chorioretinopathy (BSCR). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 21 BSCR patients, treated with initial methylprednisolone, prednisone, or immunosuppressive therapy. Main outcome measures were changes in visual acuity, intraocular inflammation, concomitant immunosuppressive drug or intravitreal steroid, and adverse events. RESULTS: In total, 14 patients were initially treated with methylprednisolone; four patients with prednisone; and three with immunosuppressive drug. Intraocular inflammation was controlled in 10 of 14 patients (71%) at 1 year, with a mean dose of 6.2 mg/day prednisone. Patients treated initially by methylprednisolone had improved visual acuity at 1 year, but it was not significantly different from patients treated initially by prednisone. CONCLUSIONS: Corticosteroid therapy, including initial methylprednisolone pulse then prednisone, was effective in stabilizing vision and decreasing inflammation in most patients with BSCR.