Resolution of persistent exudative retinal detachment in a case of Sturge-Weber syndrome with anti-VEGF administration

Serous Retinal Detachment in a Patient With a Port-Wine Birthmark Associated With Prostaglandin Analog Therapy

An 11-year-old girl with a port-wine birthmark (PWB), diffuse choroid hemangioma (DCH), and glaucoma experienced decreased vision upon starting treatment with bimatoprost. The patient was switched to latanoprostene bunod. Her vision remained reduced. Shortly after, she was diagnosed with serous retinal detachment (SRD). Both SRD and vision improved following prostaglandin analog (PGA) cessation. Patients with PWB are likely to have DCH and glaucoma. DCH itself poses a risk factor for SRD. Certain glaucoma management modalities may further increase this risk. This report highlights the importance of regular surveillance for SRD in patients with DCH who are receiving PGA. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2023;54:723-729.].

Low-dose proton radiotherapy for pediatric choroidal hemangioma: A case series

Management of pediatric choroidal hemangioma complicated by large exudative retinal detachment can be challenging, with few options available. Limited data have been published on outcomes following proton radiotherapy (PRT) for management of these patients. In this retrospective case series, nine patients were treated with a low-dose PRT regimen of 20 Gy(relative biological effectiveness [RBE]) in 10 fractions, and two were treated with 15 Gy(RBE) in four fractions. Visual acuity improved in seven patients (64%) and remained stable in the remaining four (36%). In patients with imaging follow-up (10 patients), subretinal fluid resolved in nine patients (90%) and tumor thickness decreased or remained stable in 10 (100%). Complications were observed in eight of 11 patients (73%). One patient developed grade 2 cataract; otherwise, no grade ≥2 complications were observed.

Current concepts on diffuse choroidal hemangioma in Sturge Weber syndrome

Background: Diffuse choroidal hemangioma (DCH) is a benign vascular tumor that is characteristically found in the Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS). Recent genetic discoveries demonstrate that DCH occurs sporadically from an activating mutation in GNAQ at codon R183. Mutations in GNAQ or GNA11 result in dysregulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase, which influences gene transcription and results in cellular proliferation. DCH may not always be readily detected on routine ophthalmological examination, consequently diagnosis and multidisciplinary referral are often delayed.Purpose: A literature search was performed through April 2020 without a lower date limit. This review will summarize the pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of DCH.Discussion: Multimodal imaging facilitates early detection of the condition. In particular, enhanced depth imaging spectral domain optical coherence tomography enables non-invasive, high-resolution visualization of the choroid to even detect mild choroidal thickening. Management of symptomatic DCH is generally difficult and results in poor visual outcome, thus, treatment is generally unwarranted, unless the hemangioma complicated by serous retinal detachment. The main treatment method is radiation therapy with external beam radiation therapy, proton beam therapy, plaque brachytherapy, and gamma knife surgery where low doses of radiation entail fewer complications. One method of alternative management is with photodynamic therapy that, although less invasive with a lower rate of complications, is not always feasible or effective in cases with extensive exudative retinal detachment.Conclusions: Multimodal ophthalmological imaging facilitates diagnosis of DCH and lifelong surveillance is essential in patients.

Progressive retinal vessel malformation in a premature infant with Sturge-Weber syndrome: a case report and a literature review of ocular manifestations in Sturge-Weber syndrome

BACKGROUND

Sturge-Weber syndrome is a disorder marked by a distinctive facial capillary malformation, neurological abnormalities, and ocular abnormalities such as glaucoma and choroidal hemangioma.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report a case of progressively formed retinal vessel malformation in a premature male infant with Sturge-Weber syndrome and retinopathy of prematurity, after treatment with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The baby was born at 30 weeks gestation with a nevus flammeus involving his left eyelids and maxillary area. On postmenstrual age week 39, he received intravitreal anti-VEGF. Diffuse choroidal hemangioma became evident at 40 weeks, with the classic "tomato catsup fundus" appearance. These clinical findings characterized Sturge-weber syndrome. He presented with posterior retinal vessel tortuosity and vein-to-vein anastomoses at 44 weeks.

CONCLUSION

This is a rare case of documented progression of retinal vessel malformations in a patient with Sturge-Weber syndrome and retinopathy of prematurity.

Bilateral diffuse choroidal hemangioma in Sturge Weber syndrome: A case report highlighting the role of multimodal imaging and a brief review of the literature

Purpose

To present a patient with bilateral choroidal hemangioma in Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) and highlight multimodal imaging techniques for early detection and management of ocular alterations.

Methods

A 37-year-old woman with diagnosis of SWS presented to our unit. The patient had been treated with pulsed dye laser for bilateral nevus flammeus and had right leptomeningeal angiomatosis. She had glaucoma, but ultrasound biomicroscopy did not show anterior chamber or ciliary body alterations.

Results

Enhanced depth imaging (EDI) spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) showed bilateral diffuse choroidal hemangiomas in both eyes with choroidal thickness above 1000 μm. B-scan ultrasound examination showed diffuse choroidal hemangioma in both eyes, with a choroidal thickness of 1.53 mm and 1.94 mm in the right and left eye (RE, LE), respectively. Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber evaluation showed thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer in both eyes.

Conclusions

This report highlights multimodal imaging techniques for the critical assessment of patients with SWS, especially in rare cases with bilateral choroidal hemangioma of the choroid. Novel imaging modalities enable optimal management and follow-up of rare conditions, and our case adds further evidence to the existing literature.

Sturge-Weber Syndrome Associated with Monolateral Ocular Melanocytosis, Iris Mammillations, and Diffuse Choroidal Haemangioma

We present the case of a 12-year-old boy with Sturge-Weber syndrome and ocular melanocytosis who presented with bilateral naevus flammeus of the face and hyperpigmentation of the right iris associated with ipsilateral iris mammillations. The patient had glaucoma and a diffuse choroidal haemangioma of the right eye. Optical coherence tomography of the anterior segment confirmed iris hyper-pigmentation and did not show abnormalities of the chamber angle structures. B-scan ultrasonography and enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography were performed and showed a marked difference in thickness and reflectance between the right and left choroid. Visual field examinations with perimetry showed early defects in the right eye. Peripapillary optical coherence imaging showed borderline values of retinal nerve fibre layer thickness reduction in the right eye. Sturge-Weber syndrome associated with ocular melanocytosis and iris mammillations is an extremely rare condition. This paper highlights the role of multi-imaging methods in the enhanced evaluation of rare diseases towards choosing the most appropriate management strategies and improving the follow-up of patients over time.

DIFFUSE CHOROIDAL HEMANGIOMA MASQUERADING AS CENTRAL SEROUS CHORIORETINOPATHY TREATED WITH ORAL PROPRANOLOL

PURPOSE

To describe a case of diffuse choroidal hemangioma with exudative retinal detachment treated successfully with oral propranolol.

METHODS

Single interventional case report of a 14-year-old boy, known case of Sturge-Weber syndrome, presented with decreased vision in the right eye since 2 months. Presenting vision was finger-counting at 3 m. Examination revealed a neurosensory detachment at the macula clinically appearing like central serous chorioretinopathy. Fundus fluorescein angiogram, B-scan ultrasound, and optical coherence tomography were consistent with an underlying diffuse choroidal hemangioma with secondary exudative macular detachment. The patient could not afford radiotherapy and thus was treated with oral propranolol.

RESULTS

Serial clinical examinations and optical coherence tomographies showed gradual resolution of the subretinal fluid. Vision at the last visit 4 months after treatment was 6/9 best corrected.

CONCLUSION

Choroidal hemangioma can be mistaken clinically to be central serous chorioretinopathy. Oral propranolol is an effective and economical treatment option in patients not affording other standard modalities of treatment.

Ocular manifestations of Sturge-Weber syndrome: pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management

Sturge–Weber syndrome has been included in the group of phakomatoses that is characterized by hamartomas involving the brain, skin, and eyes. The characteristic facial port-wine stain, involving the first branch of the trigeminal nerve and the embryonic vasculature distribution in this area, leads to several ocular complications of the anterior segment and can involve the eyelids and conjunctiva. The posterior segment of the eyes is also affected with diffuse choroidal hemangiomas. However, the most frequent ocular comorbidity is glaucoma with a prevalence rate ranging from 30%–70%. Glaucoma is related to anterior chamber malformations, high episcleral venous pressure (EVP), and changes in ocular hemodynamics. Glaucoma can be diagnosed at birth, but the disease can also develop during childhood and in adults. The management of glaucoma in Sturge–Weber syndrome patients is particularly challenging because of early onset, frequently associated severe visual field impairment at the time of diagnosis, and unresponsiveness to standard treatment. Several surgical approaches have been proposed, but long-term prognosis for both intraocular pressure control and visual function remains unsatisfactory in these patients. Choroidal hemangiomas may also lead to visual impairment thorough exudative retinal detachment and macular edema. Treatment of exudative hemangioma complications is aimed at destructing the tumor or decreasing tumor leakage.

Leveraging a Sturge-Weber Gene Discovery: An Agenda for Future Research

Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is a vascular neurocutaneous disorder that results from a somatic mosaic mutation in GNAQ, which is also responsible for isolated port-wine birthmarks. Infants with SWS are born with a cutaneous capillary malformation (port-wine birthmark) of the forehead or upper eyelid which can signal an increased risk of brain and/or eye involvement prior to the onset of specific symptoms. This symptom-free interval represents a time when a targeted intervention could help to minimize the neurological and ophthalmologic manifestations of the disorder. This paper summarizes a 2015 SWS workshop in Bethesda, Maryland that was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. Meeting attendees included a diverse group of clinical and translational researchers with a goal of establishing research priorities for the next few years. The initial portion of the meeting included a thorough review of the recent genetic discovery and what is known of the pathogenesis of SWS. Breakout sessions related to neurology, dermatology, and ophthalmology aimed to establish SWS research priorities in each field. Key priorities for future development include the need for clinical consensus guidelines, further work to develop a clinical trial network, improvement of tissue banking for research purposes, and the need for multiple animal and cell culture models of SWS.

Intravitreal Bevacizumab for Traumatic Choroidal Rupture

PURPOSE

To report a case of visual loss associated with traumatic choroidal rupture after blunt ocular trauma that was successfully treated with an early intravitreal bevacizumab injection despite the absence of choroidal neovascularization (CNV).

CASE REPORT

A 14-year-old boy presented with visual disturbance in his left eye after sustaining an ocular contusion 4 weeks earlier. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the left eye was 20/50. Funduscopic examination revealed macular choroidal rupture accompanied by subretinal hemorrhage. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed accumulation of subretinal fluid around a disrupted retinal pigment epithelium/Bruch membrane complex extending into the juxtafoveolar area, but there was no active leakage suggestive of CNV on fluorescein angiography. Intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25 mg) injection was performed to treat persistent serous retinal detachment at macula causing visual loss. There was a reduction of subretinal fluid and concomitant improvement of BCVA to 20/30 within 1 week after intravitreal bevacizumab injection. The BCVA recovered to 20/25 in the left eye after 4 weeks, and only a minimal amount of residual fluid remained according to OCT. Complete resolution of subretinal fluid was observed by OCT at the 6-week follow-up examination, and BCVA improved to 20/20. Good visual acuity (20/20) and stable macula were maintained in the left eye at 1 year of follow-up without recurrence of subretinal fluid accumulation or hemorrhage and CNV. There were no ocular or systemic complications associated with intravitreal bevacizumab injection.

CONCLUSIONS

Early intravitreal bevacizumab injection could be an effective treatment option for patients with vision loss associated with traumatic choroidal rupture and subretinal fluid within the posterior pole before development of CNV.

Ophthalmic Alterations in the Sturge-Weber Syndrome, Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome, and the Phakomatosis Pigmentovascularis: An Independent Group of Conditions?

The phakomatoses have been traditionally defined as a group of hereditary diseases with variable expressivity characterized by multisystem tumors with possible malignant transformation. The Sturge-Weber syndrome, Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome, and the phakomatosis pigmentovascularis have the facial port-wine stain in common. Numerous pathophysiogenetic mechanisms have been suggested such as venous dysplasia of the emissary veins in the intracranial circulation, neural crest alterations leading to alterations of autonomic perivascular nerves, mutation of the GNAO gene in the Sturge-Weber syndrome, PIK3CA mutation in malformative/overgrowth syndromes such as the Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome, and the twin-spotting phenomenon in phakomatosis pigmentovascularis. Other features linked to the port-wine stain and typical to all of the three conditions are glaucoma and choroidal alterations. Glaucoma can be due to malformations of the anterior chamber or high episcleral venous pressure and in phakomatosis pigmentovascularis it can also be associated with angle hyperpigmentation. The choroid can be thickened in all diseases. Furthermore, choroidal melanocytosis in the phakomatosis pigmentovascularis can lead to malignant transformation. Although the multiple pathophysiological mechanisms still require clarification, similarities in ophthalmic manifestations make it reasonable to classify these diseases in an independent group.

Sturge-Weber Syndrome (Encephalotrigeminal Angiomatosis): Recent Advances and Future Challenges

Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is a congenital, sporadically occurring, neurocutaneous syndrome that presents classically with port-wine stain, leptomeningeal angiomas, and glaucoma. The systemic implications of SWS are vast and involve not only ophthalmic manifestations but also dermatologic, neurologic, and oral manifestations. Neuroimaging, in particular, plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of this disease. Recent discoveries have been made regarding the genetic pathogenesis of SWS. In addition, recent advances have been made in the management of the 2 most common ophthalmic manifestations of SWS: diffuse choroidal hemangioma and glaucoma. Despite these new contributions to the field, many challenges still remain. The management of diffuse choroidal hemangioma is wide ranging and includes photodynamic therapy, brachytherapy, radiotherapy, and antivascular endothelial growth factor injections, but all have had limited or varied success. Although there have been recent advances in knowledge and technique, the management of glaucoma is extremely complex, given the high surgical risks for complications and a poor response rate to medical therapy. Further studies are critical to maximize our knowledge of this difficult disease.

Spontaneous exudative retinal detachment in a patient with sturge-weber syndrome after taking arginine, a supplement for erectile dysfunction

Background

Patients with Sturge-Weber syndrome can have ipsilateral diffuse or circumscribed choroidal hemangiomas. These hemangiomas have been seen to undergo spontaneous exudative or hemorrhagic retinal detachments. There is no definitive treatment for these types of retinal detachments, but radiotherapy, photodynamic therapy, oral propranolol, pegaptinib and bevacizumab have been used.

Case presentation

A 26-year-old male with Sturge-Weber Syndrome developed an exudative retinal detachment that occurred immediately after taking a supplement containing arginine. The patient was treated with intravitreal bevacizumab 1.25 mg in 0.05 ml solution. Resolution of the retinal detachment was seen after 4 treatments over a six-month period.

Conclusions

Arginine and other medications that cause a release of nitric oxide may lead to intravascular leakage and exudative retinal detachments in patients who have a choroidal hemangioma.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40662-014-0007-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Treatment of serous macular detachment associated with circumscribed choroidal hemangioma

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effects of transpupillary thermotherapy and intravitreal bevacizumab injection on serous macular detachment and cystoid macular edema (CME) associated with circumscribed choroidal hemangioma.

DESIGN

Retrospective, interventional case series.

METHODS

We reviewed the records of 12 patients with circumscribed choroidal hemangioma treated with transpupillary thermotherapy and/or intravitreal injection of bevacizumab. We assessed changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central foveal thickness by optical coherence tomography, and resolution of serous macular detachment and CME.

RESULTS

Six of 8 patients treated with transpupillary thermotherapy showed complete resolution of serous macular detachment and CME and the median minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) BCVA improved from 0.85 to 0.35 (P = .026). Among these 6 patients, 1 had no recurrence for 86 months and 5 had sustained resolution of serous macular detachment for a mean duration of 32.8 months before recurrence. Among the 9 patients treated with bevacizumab (including 5 patients who had transpupillary thermotherapy as a primary treatment), 5 showed resolution of serous macular detachment and the median logMAR BCVA improved from 0.7 to 0.5 (P = .042). Among these 5 patients, 3 had sustained resolution for a mean duration of 5.7 months and 2 showed recurrent serous macular detachment after 3 and 12 months.

CONCLUSION

Transpupillary thermotherapy and intravitreal bevacizumab appear effective in the management of symptomatic circumscribed choroidal hemangioma, although recurrence of serous macular detachment and CME developed after long-term follow-up of transpupillary thermotherapy, and the duration of treatment effectiveness appears to be short with bevacizumab.

Rapid and sustained resolution of serous retinal detachment in Sturge-Weber syndrome after single injection of intravitreal bevacizumab

PURPOSE

To report the effect of a single intravitreal bevacizumab injection on serous retinal detachment (SRD) in Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS).

DESIGN

Interventional case report.

METHODS

A 15-year-old boy with history of SWS was referred with a complaint of sudden visual loss 2 days before, having choroidal hemangioma accompanied with SRD. Visual acuity was 20/160.

RESULTS

He was treated with 1.25 mg of bevacizumab injected intravitreally. One week later, the retina was completely attached and visual acuity was 20/20. After 20 months, without repeating the injection, the retina remained attached and vision was stable.

CONCLUSIONS

An early single dose of intravitreal bevacizumab is effective in the treatment of serous retinal detachment in SWS with good long-term results.

Photodynamic therapy of choroidal hemangioma in sturge-weber syndrome, with a review of treatments for diffuse and circumscribed choroidal hemangiomas

We report three new cases of patients with Sturge-Weber Syndrome and symptomatic retinal detachments from diffuse choroidal hemangiomas successfully treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT) and review medical literature on the available treatment options for choroidal hemangiomas. All patients were treated with a single session of PDT with verteporfin infused at a concentration of 6 mg/m(2) and treated for 83 seconds with 689-nm Zeiss laser that was delivered with total energy level of 50 J/cm(2) with an intensity of 600 mW/cm(2). The exudative retinal detachment (RD) and macular edema completely resolved in all cases by 1-4 months after PDT treatment. Visual acuity improved in all three cases with diminished tumor size in the areas of treatment. One case was followed for 5 months, another for 2 years, and the third case for 6 years, with no recurrence of exudative RD. PDT is an effective treatment option for visual deterioration from exudative retinal detachment in patients with diffuse choroidal hemangiomas.