RECONSTITUTION OF THE CHORIOCAPILLARIS IN ACUTE POSTERIOR MULTIFOCAL PLACOID PIGMENT EPITHELIOPATHY

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe findings derived from extensions of optical coherence tomography, including volume rendering and frame-averaged optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A), in a case of acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE). Methods: This is a case report of a patient with APMPPE imaged during the acute and convalescent stages. Results: A 20-year-old man presented with an acute change in vision. He had multiple yellow–white placoid lesions at the level of the retinal pigment epithelium in the macula and nasal to the optic nerve in both eyes. Within 2 weeks, his visual acuity worsened to 20/80 and 20/400 in the right and left eyes, respectively. Spectral domain OCT showed focal defects in the ellipsoid and retinal pigment epithelium layers. Volume-rendering OCT-A showed inflammatory cells in the outer nuclear layer above the APMPPE lesion. Frame-averaged OCT-A revealed significant loss of capillary flow signal within capillary segments of the choriocapillaris. Ten weeks after presentation, there was resolution of the placoid changes, discontinuance of the inflammatory infiltrate in the outer nuclear layer, and significant reconstitution of flow in the choriocapillaris. The visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes. Conclusion: Novel volume-rendered and frame-averaged OCT-A images in a patient with APMPPE allowed detection of inflammatory cell infiltrate in the outer nuclear layer and reversible capillary segment nonperfusion of associated APMPPE lesions. The findings suggest short-term insults to choriocapillaris function may be reversible and can be tracked with modern imaging techniques.