Four cases of bilateral acute retinal necrosis with a long interval after the initial onset. Issue 9 (17th January 2011)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Okunuki, Yoko; Usui, Yoshihiko; Kezuka, Takeshi; Takeuchi, Masaru; Goto, Hiroshi
• Is Part Of: British journal of ophthalmology. Volume 95:Issue 9(2011)
• Page Start: 1251
• Page End: 1254
• Publication Date: 2011-01-17
• Subjects: Acute retinal necrosis -- varicella-zoster virus -- herpes simplex virus -- retina -- immunology -- infection; Ophthalmology -- Periodicals; 617.7
• DOI: 10.1136/bjo.2010.191288
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0007-1161

Abstract

Abstract : Aims: To report the clinical features and causative virus of bilateral acute retinal necrosis (BARN) with a long interval after the initial onset. Methods: The causative virus and clinical features were retrospectively investigated in four patients with delayed-onset BARN with an interval of more than 3 years after the onset of the disease in the initially affected eye. Results: The intervals between the initially affected eye and the latter affected eye of the four cases were 8 years 7 months, 19 years 3 months, 9 years 7 months and 3 years 6 months. The fourth patient developed a second recurrence in the latter affected eye 17 years 6 months after the initial inflammation in the fellow eye. In all four cases, the same virus species, either varicella-zoster virus or herpes simplex virus, was detected in both eyes by PCR or antibody detection. In all cases, the final best-corrected visual acuity of the latter affected eye (20/20, 18/20, 20/20 and 12/20, respectively) was better than that of the initially affected eye (20 cm hand motion, light perception-negative, light perception-negative and light perception-positive, respectively). Conclusion: The present findings indicate that delayed-onset BARN in the fellow eye was caused by the same herpes virus species that induced the disease in the first affected eye.