scholarly journals The Difficulty of Diagnosing Invasive Aspergillosis Initially Manifesting as Optic Neuropathy

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-18
Author(s):  
Sotaro Mori ◽  
Takuji Kurimoto ◽  
Kana Kawara ◽  
Kaori Ueda ◽  
Mari Sakamoto ◽  
...  

Background: Invasive aspergillosis is often fatal. Here, we report a patient with invasive aspergillosis primarily involving the optic nerve diagnosed on autopsy. Case Presentation: A 77-year-old female with underlying diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension presented with disc swelling of the left eye. Although mini-pulse steroid therapy improved visual acuity (VA) of the left eye, it abruptly decreased to no light perception within a month, followed by a decrease in VA of the right eye to 0.5. At referral, VA was 0.3 in the right eye, and there was no light perception in the left eye. Results: Fundus examination revealed optic disc swelling of both eyes. Goldmann perimetry showed irregular visual field defects, whereas magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), general, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examinations revealed no distinct abnormalities. We suspected anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and invasive optic neuropathy. As with the left eye, steroid pulse therapy temporarily improved VA of the right eye and then decreased to 0.2. Additional anticoagulant therapy did not improve VA. Concurrent to therapy, the patient became febrile with depressed consciousness. Repeat MRI identified suspected midbrain infarction, and CSF examination indicated cerebral meningitis. In spite of administering transfusions and antibiotics, she died on hospital day 40. Autopsy revealed large amounts of Aspergillus hyphae mainly localized in the dura mater of the optic nerve and destruction of the cerebral artery wall, suggesting an etiology of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Conclusions: When examining refractory and persistent disc swelling, we should rule out fungal infections of the optic nerve.

2021 ◽  
pp. 899-908
Author(s):  
Yui Yamashita ◽  
Yuki Hashimoto ◽  
Kenichi Namba ◽  
Kazuomi Mizuuchi ◽  
Susumu Ishida

Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) is infrequently complicated with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease. We quantitatively examined sequential changes in the morphology and circulation hemodynamics, using a C-scan of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) in a patient with VKH disease accompanied by AION. A 65-year-old female complained of blurred vision in both of her eyes. The patient presented with optic disc swelling and remarkable choroidal thickening detected by OCT bilaterally. The diagnosis of VKH disease was established based on the presence of pleocytosis detected in the cerebrospinal fluid and hypofluorescent dark dots scattered all around the fundus, detected by indocyanine green angiography. Goldmann perimetry detected visual field defects, similar to superior altitudinal hemianopsia in the right eye and similar to inferior altitudinal hemianopsia in the left eye. The patient was suspected to have developed AION in both eyes. The patient received methylprednisolone pulse therapy, followed by oral prednisolone. With these treatments, the optic disc swelling disappeared. However, optic disc atrophy with visual field defects remained in both eyes. An OCT C-scan showed the ganglion cell complex (GCC) and circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) thickness getting thinner below the normal range, and LSFG showed the decrease in optic nerve head (ONH) tissue microcirculation. These results supported the occurrence of AION in this patient with VKH disease. The analysis of GCC and cpRNFL thickness and ONH microcirculation would be useful for supporting the occurrence of AION in a case of VKH disease.


Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 567
Author(s):  
Kyungwoo Yoon ◽  
Soo Young Chae ◽  
Kiyoung Kim

Transfemoral cerebral angiography (TFCA) has been increasingly used as diagnostic method for the evaluation of cerebral vessels. Ophthalmologic complication after TFCA has rarely been reported, and most complications are associated with an intraoperative thrombo-embolic event. We reported a patient who developed a superior altitudinal visual field defect one day after diagnostic TFCA. The ophthalmic exam revealed a prominent inferior optic disc edema, and the fluorescein angiographic showed the non-perfusion of the corresponding inferior sectoral optic disc. Diffusion-weighted MRI on the day following cerebral angiography revealed multiple focal scattered acute infarctions. Even one month after steroid pulse therapy, the superior nasal field defect remained with minimal improvement. We believe this case was consistent with an acute anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) due to thrombo-embolism after TFCA. Ophthalmic examinations and a visual field test should be performed before and immediately after the TFCA, particularly in the case with a high risk of thromboembolic events.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1948
Author(s):  
Eugene Yu-Chuan Kang ◽  
Pei-Kang Liu ◽  
Yao-Tseng Wen ◽  
Peter M. J. Quinn ◽  
Sarah R. Levi ◽  
...  

Ocular diseases associated with retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration is the most common neurodegenerative disorder that causes irreversible blindness worldwide. It is characterized by visual field defects and progressive optic nerve atrophy. The underlying pathophysiology and mechanisms of RGC degeneration in several ocular diseases remain largely unknown. RGCs are a population of central nervous system neurons, with their soma located in the retina and long axons that extend through the optic nerve to form distal terminals and connections in the brain. Because of this unique cytoarchitecture and highly compartmentalized energy demand, RGCs are highly mitochondrial-dependent for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Recently, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction have been found to be the principal mechanisms in RGC degeneration as well as in other neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we review the role of oxidative stress in several ocular diseases associated with RGC degenerations, including glaucoma, hereditary optic atrophy, inflammatory optic neuritis, ischemic optic neuropathy, traumatic optic neuropathy, and drug toxicity. We also review experimental approaches using cell and animal models for research on the underlying mechanisms of RGC degeneration. Lastly, we discuss the application of antioxidants as a potential future therapy for the ocular diseases associated with RGC degenerations.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yui Yamashita ◽  
Yuki Hashimoto ◽  
Kenichi Namba ◽  
Kazuomi Mizuuchi ◽  
Susumu Ishida

Abstract Purpose: It has been reported that anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) is an infrequent complication of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease; however, the physiological changes have not been understood. We quantitatively examined sequential changes in the morphology and circulation hemodynamics using an optical coherence tomography (OCT) C-scan and laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) in a patient with VKH disease accompanied by AION.Case presentation: A 65-year-old female complained of blurred vision in both of her eyes. She presented with optic disc swelling and remarkable choroidal thickening detected by OCT bilaterally. Indocyanine green angiography in the middle phase showed multiple hypofluorescent dark dots scattering around the fundus. With the use of Goldmann perimetry, bilateral visual field defects were detected; these were similar to those of inferior altitudinal hemianopsia. Pleocytosis was detected. The patient was diagnosed with VKH disease, suspected to be accompanied by AION in both eyes. She received methylprednisolone pulse therapy followed by oral prednisolone. With these treatments, optic disc swelling disappeared; however, optic disc atrophy with visual field defects remained in both eyes. An OCT C-scan showed the ganglion cell complex (GCC) and circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) thickness getting thinner below the normal range, and LSFG showed a decrease in optic nerve head tissue microcirculation during follow-up. These results supported the occurrence of AION in this patient with VKH disease.Conclusion: The analyses of GCC and cpRNFL thicknesses with an OCT C-scan and optic nerve head microcirculation with LSFG would be useful for supporting the occurrence of AION in cases of VKH disease.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-162
Author(s):  
Yurie Fukiyama ◽  
Hidehiro Oku ◽  
Yusuke Hashimoto ◽  
Yuko Nishikawa ◽  
Masahiro Tonari ◽  
...  

It is not common for an isolated visual symptom to be the first indication of an aneurysm compressing the optic nerve. The compression can lead to blindness, and a recovery from the blindness is rare. We report a female with a left painless optic neuropathy caused by an unruptured anterior cerebral artery aneurysm. The patient had a temporal hemianopic visual field defect, which progressed to blindness in the left eye, while the right visual function was not affected. A coil embolization of the aneurysm completely restored her visual acuity to 20/20. These findings suggest that aneurysmal lesions should be ruled out in case of unilateral optic neuropathy with hemianopic visual field defects and progressive visual loss.


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