scholarly journals Visual Loss from Choroidal Melanoma Mimicking Neurological Syndromes

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-35
Author(s):  
Karim Hammamji ◽  
Ehud Reich ◽  
Amit Arora ◽  
Victoria M.L. Cohen ◽  
Mandeep S. Sagoo

Melanoma of the eye is rare, but can mimic a range of disorders. This report highlights 2 cases of choroidal melanoma with vision loss mimicking neurological diagnoses. The first patient is a 41-year-old white male with a known history of multiple sclerosis and a previous episode of optic neuritis in the right eye, who presented with a 6-month history of decreased vision in the same eye, and occasional photopsiae. He was treated with 2 courses of oral steroids for presumed recurrent optic neuritis. After a temporary improvement in his symptoms, his vision worsened, following which he had a head MRI, which revealed a solid intraocular mass. He was subsequently diagnosed with a choroidal melanoma for which he was treated successfully with ruthenium-106 plaque brachytherapy. The second patient is a 57-year-old female, who presented with a progressive cerebellar syndrome under investigation by the neurology service, as well as decreased vision in the right eye. Her visual acuity gradually deteriorated and her neurological assessment, which included a PET-CT, revealed uptake in the right eye. The diagnosis of a choroidal melanoma was made, and following conservative treatment with proton beam radiotherapy, she had an enucleation of the eye. Intraocular tumours can masquerade as many different entities. Unexplained unilateral visual loss, especially if it is atypical for a neurological syndrome, should prompt dilated fundoscopy and referral to an ophthalmologist.

Author(s):  
Aluisio Rosa Gameiro Filho ◽  
Guilherme Sturzeneker ◽  
Ever Ernesto Caso Rodriguez ◽  
André Maia ◽  
Melina Correia Morales ◽  
...  

Abstract Background To report a case of acute exudative polymorphous paraneoplastic vitelliform maculopathy in a patient with a history of choroidal melanoma, with metastases to the pancreas, liver, and central nervous system. Case presentation A 63-year-old patient, with a history of enucleation of the right eye due to choroidal melanoma, complained of progressive visual loss during a follow-up visit. Fundoscopic examination revealed multiple small areas of serous retinal detachment scattered throughout the posterior pole and ancillary tests confirmed the diagnosis of acute exudative polymorphous paraneoplastic vitelliform maculopathy (AEPPVM). Screening for systemic metastases showed pancreatic, hepatic, and central nervous system involvement. Conclusions We describe a rare case of acute exudative polymorphous paraneoplastic vitelliform maculopathy, which should be considered in patients with or without a history of melanoma, who have vitelliform retinal detachments. Nevertheless, no previous reviews of literature have shown a correlation between AEPPVM and pancreatic metastasis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. e240983
Author(s):  
Sunila Jain ◽  
Kar Yen Phoong

A 49-year-old gentleman presented with a 1-day history of painful deterioration of vision in his right eye. He was lifting heavy weights just before this visual loss. On examination, his vision was perception of light in that eye, with a medically uncontrollable high intraocular pressure and hyphaema almost completely filling his anterior chamber. An ultrasound performed suggested a working diagnosis of a Valsalva related ‘eight ball’ bleed. After an anterior chamber washout, he had another episode of bleeding three days later. A pars plana vitrectomy was performed and the sample obtained was sent off to the laboratory, revealing a choroidal melanoma. Following enucleation, the histology confirmed a large necrotic spindle cell melanoma, with a haemorrhagic background. Fortunately, no liver metastasis was found. Since his diagnosis 3 years ago, he continues to be followed up in an artificial eye clinic and has regular liver scans under the care of his oncologist.


Cephalalgia ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 033310242110562
Author(s):  
Nikita Chhabra ◽  
Chia-Chun Chiang ◽  
Marie A Di Nome ◽  
Odette Houghton ◽  
Rachel E Carlin ◽  
...  

Background Retinal migraine is defined by fully reversible monocular visual phenomena. We present two cases that were complicated by permanent monocular vision deficits. Cases A 57-year-old man with history of retinal migraine experienced persistent monocular vision loss after one stereotypical retinal migraine, progressing to finger-count vision over 4 days. He developed paracentral acute middle maculopathy that progressed to central retinal artery occlusion. A 27-year-old man with history of retinal migraine presented with persistent right eye superotemporal scotoma after a retinal migraine. Relative afferent pupillary defect and superotemporal visual field defect were noted, consistent with ischemic optic neuropathy. Conclusion Retinal migraine can complicate with permanent monocular visual loss, suggesting potential migrainous infarction of the retina or optic nerve. A thorough cerebrovascular evaluation must be completed, which was unrevealing in our cases. Acute and preventive migraine therapy may be considered in retinal migraine patients, to mitigate rare but potentially permanent visual loss.


2021 ◽  
pp. 160-162
Author(s):  
John R. Mills

A 62-year-old man with a history of migraine came to the emergency department with sudden onset of horizontal diplopia and, subsequently, bilateral ptosis. He noted feeling unsteady when walking. He reported that the diplopia worsened throughout the day. He had a history of hepatitis C infection. He had some vision loss in his left eye, which was thought to relate to a retinopathy. He disclosed that he had a history of cold feet and had notably high arches. He had a pacemaker because of syncope attributed to sick sinus syndrome. Computed tomography angiography of the head and neck were ruled negative for intracranial stenosis, occlusions, or aneurysms. Computed tomography of the head indicated a tiny lacunar infarct in the right caudate head. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain identified a tiny, periaqueductal, enhancing abnormality in the right midbrain that was thought to be likely ischemic, but there was some concern for a demyelinating or inflammatory lesion. Cerebrospinal fluid evaluation indicated an increased protein concentration. Serologic evaluation for myasthenia gravis striational antibodies were positive at a titer of 1:240. Serum protein studies indicated the presence of polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia. Myasthenia gravis was effectively ruled out. Given the hyperacute time course, the patient’s clinical disorder was most probably explained by an ischemic stroke that affected the oculomotor nuclei regions causing ptosis and ophthalmoparesis. On follow-up, the patient was discovered to have a patent foramen ovale. Whether the patent foramen ovale was a contributing factor to the stroke is uncertain. The recurrence rate in this setting is thought to be low relative to other causes of stroke. Ultimately it was decided to not close the patent foramen ovale and to maintain the patient on clopidogrel and adult low-dose aspirin. The onset of diplopia is typically sudden, but this occurs exclusively with vascular pathologic processes. Diplopia that appears intermittently with diurnal variation suggests the possibility of a neuromuscular junction disease such as myasthenia gravis.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Carmen Guixeres Esteve ◽  
Augusto Octavio Pardo Saiz ◽  
Lucía Martínez-Costa ◽  
Samuel González-Ocampo Dorta ◽  
Pedro Sanz Solana

The early development of lens opacities and lens subluxation are the most common causes of vision loss in patients with anterior megalophthalmos (AM). Cataract surgery in such patients is challenging, however, because of anatomical abnormalities. Intraocular lens dislocation is the most common postoperative complication. Patients with AM also seem to be affected by a type of vitreoretinopathy that predisposes them to retinal detachment. We here present the case of a 36-year-old man with bilateral AM misdiagnosed as simple megalocornea. He had a history of amaurosis in the right eye due to retinal detachment. He presented with vision loss in the left eye due to lens subluxation. Following the removal of the subluxated lens, it was deemed necessary to perform a vitrectomy in order to prevent retinal detachment. Seven months after surgery, an Artisan® Aphakia iris-claw lens was implanted in the anterior chamber. Fifteen months of follow-up data are provided.


2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 322-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Eames ◽  
L. Senthil ◽  
A. Thomas ◽  
P. Riley ◽  
M.A. Burdon

A 69-year-old hypertensive woman with a hyperdynamic, left brachio-basilic dialysis fistula presented with a long history of throbbing in her head, swelling of the left side of the face and two months of right visual loss with gross swelling of the right optic disc. Tight stenosis of left brachiocephalic vein was found to be causing retrograde flow into the left jugular vein which normalised after dilatation and stenting with resolution of the papillodema.


2019 ◽  
pp. 85-87
Author(s):  
Y. Suthahar ◽  
J. Blackwell ◽  
G. Zachariah ◽  
V. Umachandran

WW a 43 year old Caucasian Hospital Manager, first presented in July 08 complaining of transient mono-ocular visual loss in the right eye.  She described sudden onset loss of vision – ‘like a curtain coming across the vision’.  She then proceeded to have similar symptoms in the left eye.  There was no history of a subsequent headache. The episode would between 30 seconds and 10 minutes and could occur up to 10 times a day. At times, the attack was also associated with some left arm numbness.  She was initially reviewed by Dr Vu [ Stroke Consultant] who diagnosed Amaurosis Fugax and started her on standard anti-platelet therapy  [combination of Aspirin and Dypyridamole].  She had very little in terms of vascular risk factors [nil hypertensive, minimal alcohol and a life-long non-smoker with a fasting cholesterol 3.12]. Her PMH history consisted of Gilberts’ Syndrome and endometriosis. She also suffered a DVT following a hysterectomy. Her initial investigations of a CT head and carotid duplex were normal.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher B. Toomey ◽  
Andrew Gross ◽  
Jeffrey Lee ◽  
Doran B. Spencer

Intraocular coccidioidomycosis is a rare condition, with the most commonly reported presentation being an idiopathic iritis in patients who live in or have traveled thorough endemic areas. A paucity of reports exists describing the chorioretinal manifestations of coccidioidomycosis. Here we report a case of unilateral coccidioidal chorioretinitis and meningoencephalitis in an AIDS patient that led to near complete unilateral loss of vision. A 48-year-old Hispanic female with poorly controlled HIV/AIDS in southern California presented with a three-week history of headache, nausea, vomiting, right eye blurry vision, and a one-day history of subjective fever. Examination of the right eye revealed vitritis and several large chorioretinal lesions scattered throughout the periphery and macula with optic disc pallor. Serum coccidioidomycoses complement fixation (CF) was positive (titers of 1 : 256). Neuroimaging revealed a new area of enhancement in the left anterior frontal lobe consistent with meningoencephalitis. The patient was treated with intravenous fluconazole and intravitreal voriconazole with resolution of systemic symptoms and vitritis but persistence of unilateral, severe chorioretinal scarring and vision loss. In conclusion, in spite of the rarity of intraocular coccidioidomycosis, one must carry a degree of suspicion for this vision- and life-threatening condition as a potential etiology of chorioretinitis in individuals with pertinent risk factors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaeyeon Lee ◽  
Kyung-Ah Park ◽  
Ga-In Lee ◽  
Sei Yeul Oh ◽  
Ju-Hong Min ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally inherited mitochondrial disease, characterized by acute or subacute, painless, bilateral visual loss. LHON is often misdiagnosed as optic neuritis at an early stage because of the similarity of their clinical presentation. To date, there has been no reported case of actual optic neuritis and LHON in one patient. Case presentation A 40-year-old, healthy man was referred to our clinic with acute painful visual loss in the right eye for 2 weeks. In the right eye, visual acuity decreased to 20/40, and the Ishihara colour test score was 8/14 with a relative afferent pupillary defect. Optic disc swelling was found only in the right eye, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed enhancement of the the right optic nerve, consistent with optic neuritis. After receiving 1 g of intravenous methylprednisolone daily for three days, his ocular pain resolved, and visual acuity improved to 20/20 within 2 weeks. Seven months later, the patient developed acute painless visual loss in the right eye. Visual acuity decreased to 20/200 in the right eye. There was no response to the intravenous methylprednisolone therapy at that time. Eight months later, he developed subacute painless visual loss in the left eye. Genetic testing for LHON was performed and revealed the pathologic mtDNA 11778 point mutation. Conclusions We report a case with painful unilateral optic neuritis preceding the onset of LHON. Even if a typical optic neuritis patient has completely recovered from steroid treatment once in the past, it is advisable to keep in mind the possibility of LHON if acute or subacute loss of vision subsequently or simultaneously occurs in both eyes and does not respond to steroids.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. E190-E190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis M. Tumialán ◽  
Sanjay S. Dhall ◽  
Valérie Biousse ◽  
Nancy J. Newman

Abstract OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: The clinical and radiographic presentations of optic nerve gliomas and optic neuritis are for the most part distinct and their diagnoses straightforward. We present two cases illustrating the occasional difficulty one can encounter in distinguishing neoplastic from inflammatory optic neuropathies. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Patient 1 is a 17-year-old girl who presented with acute onset of pain and rapidly progressive visual loss in the right eye. Patient 2 is a 38-year-old man who presented with painless progressive visual loss in the left eye. INTERVENTION: Patient 1 was initially diagnosed with idiopathic retrobulbar optic neuritis. Interval increase of the optic nerve on magnetic resonance imaging prompted a biopsy of the optic nerve, which revealed a pilocytic astrocytoma. Patient 2 was found to have left optic nerve enhancement most consistent with an optic nerve glioma. Before a biopsy, the patient spontaneously improved without treatment, indicating an inflammatory process. CONCLUSION: Differentiating between optic nerve neoplasm and inflammation may be difficult. On occasion, the classic clinical finding of pain with eye movement and the radiographic finding of enlargement and enhancement of the optic nerve may be misleading. Open biopsy of the optic nerve is indicated only after a completely negative metabolic, infectious, and inflammatory workup; interval increase of the optic nerve on magnetic resonance imaging; and failure of the patient to recover vision.


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