Purtscher's retinopathy is a medical condition characterized by sudden and possibly severe visual impairment, in the setting of prior extraocular trauma or other systemic, non-traumatic pathologies.
Presentation
Sudden visual impairment is a key characteristic of Purtscher's retinopathy. All reported cases involve individuals who experienced symptoms, like reduced visual acuity and visual field or a combination of both with the majority of the patients reporting combined defects of visual acuity and visual field [1]. Extremely profound ocular dysfunction, such as sudden blindness, may also be induced, as can annular, central or paracentral scotomas and extensive defects occupying various segments of the visual field [2].
Ocular symptoms usually arise 1-2 days after a traumatic event or other acute, Purtscher's-retinopathy-related conditions [3] [4] [5]. The aforementioned defects associated with vision loss can be unilateral or bilateral.
Other features of Purtscher's retinopathy are due to the fact that it is strongly associated with extraocular trauma. So patients may present with evidence of head or thoracic injuries. Individuals who have developed the retinopathy without prior trauma may present with symptoms of a variety of other pathologies that have been associated with the condition. These include:
Entire Body System
- Fever
The case is described of a 32-year-old man suffering from alcoholism who came to the Emergency Unit with vomiting, fever and sharp epigastric pain irradiating to the chest and upper abdomen. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
A 23-year-old man with a history of heavy alcohol intake for past 1 year reported with complaints of vomiting, fever, and sharp epigastric pain radiating to the back and flanks. The symptoms started 3 h back and were nonremitting. [ojoonline.org]
Six weeks prior to ophthalmic evaluation, the patient presented to the emergency department with fever, cough, and progressive dyspnea. [hindawi.com]
As seen in this patient, both of these entities may present with hypoxemia, fever, tachycardia, and tachypnea due to obstruction of the pulmonary capillaries [ 9 ]. [omicsonline.org]
- Asymptomatic
Severe cryoglobulinemia in a patient with asymptomatic hepatitis C virus infection. Intern Med 1996;35:712-6. [Figure 1], [Figure 2], [Figure 3] [meajo.org]
Underreporting of cases of asymptomatic Purtscher's retinopathy affects the proper understanding of the incidence, risk factors, clinical pattern, and prognosis of this entity. [5] Purtscher flecken, though pathognomonic, is reported in about 23–62% of [mamcjms.in]
Also, to estimate the real incidence and to identify asymptomatic cases of PuR (which are of relatively high frequency 3, 51 ), more screening should be done in patients identified to be at risk. [nature.com]
PMMA) injection into the buttock for cosmetic enhancement Orthopedic surgery Epidemiology The annual incidence of symptomatic Purtscher's retinopathy has been estimated to be 0.24 cases per million population per year.[20] However, as many cases are asymptomatic [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Gastrointestinal
- Abdominal Pain
Six months later, he experienced intractable abdominal pain. Serum amylase and lipase levels were elevated markedly. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
He had no complaints of headache, vomiting, abdominal pain, or shortness of breath. He had no direct trauma to the head or loss of consciousness. He is a non- smoker, and he had no significant past medical illness or surgery. [jmedicalcasereports.biomedcentral.com]
Musculoskeletal
- Fracture
We present a case of unilateral remote traumatic retinal angiopathy following a fracture dislocation of the shoulder joint. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Purtscher’s retinopathy associated with mandibular fracture: a case report. J Trauma1996;40:141–3. [emj.bmj.com]
Links Authors +Show Affiliations, Canniesburn Hospital, Bearsden, Glasgow., Source MeSH Blindness Frontal Bone Humans Male Middle Aged Retinal Hemorrhage Skull Fractures Zygomatic Fractures Pub Type(s) Case Reports Journal Article Review Language eng [unboundmedicine.com]
Eyes
- Visual Impairment
Sudden visual impairment is a key characteristic of Purtscher's retinopathy. [symptoma.com]
Abstract This case study describes a patient with multiple trauma associated with acute visual impairment. Funduscopic examination revealed scattered and confluent cotton wool exudates bilaterally. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Abstract Purtscher retinopathy is an occlusive microangiopathy associated with traumatic causes and usually causes visual impairment. For non-traumatic origins, it is called Purtscher-like retinopathy (PLR). [pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
American Journal of Ophthalmology 134(1): 125-128, July, 2002 Purtscher's retinopathy: a case of visual impairment associated with multiple trauma. [eurekamag.com]
Patients brought to the emergency department with multiple trauma should have a complete eye examination including dilated fundus examination, as patients with a mild degree of visual impairment may not be detected[ 3 ]. [djo.org.in]
Skin
- Erythema
Local complications are well-documented and include granulomatous inflammatory reactions, erythema, itching, depigmentation, induration, ulceration, and tissue necrosis [ 4 ]. [omicsonline.org]
Urogenital
- Renal Insufficiency
The patient's renal insufficiency required hemodialysis; it gradually improved over two years when dialysis could be discontinued. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Laboratory workup indicated acute renal insufficiency (creatinine 2.1 mg/dl) and normal pancreatic enzymes. [meajo.org]
- Kidney Failure
Presentation[edit] Associated diseases[edit] Severe head, chest, or long bone trauma Acute pancreatitis Amniotic fluid embolism Chronic kidney failure Dermatomyositis Fat embolism syndrome Scleroderma Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) Thrombotic thrombocytopenic [en.wikipedia.org]
Neurologic
- Agitation
Features of fat embolism include respiratory distress, confusion/agitation, petechial rashes, and tachycardia. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Workup
Fundoscopy is the first step towards achieving an accurate diagnosis of Purtscher's retinopathy. Findings consistent with this diagnosis include [4]:
- Cotton-wool spots. These constitute restricted regions of retinal ischemia, which are observed as white areas of axonal swelling obstructing the axoplasmal flow and are detected in up to 90% of the cases [8] [9].
- Retinal hemorrhages may appear on the superficial nerve fiber, in which case they display a flame-like shape, or on the inner retinal layers; in the latter case, they assume a "dot and blot" pattern. They are also observed in up to 90% of the affected patients.
- "Purtscher flecken" are deemed pathognomonic for Purtscher's retinopathy but are detected in only half of the patients [9]. Purtscher flecken are polygonal regions of whitening of the retina; it is believed that they occur due to regional capillary bed infarction.
- Normal optic disc, which tends to assume an edematous appearance later in the course of the disorder.
Another diagnostic modality that can be employed is fluorescein angiography. It is expected to illustrate regional ischemia of the retina and capillary bed, possibly accompanied by venous dilation and perivenous staining [10].
Given the fact that Purtscher's retinopathy is primarily associated with extraocular trauma, especially head or thoracic trauma, workup may include a radiograph or a computerized tomography scan (CT scan) of the affected region. In case the retinopathy is not induced by trauma, it may be linked to other diseases, such as acute pancreatitis, activated complement C5a, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, dermatomyositis and other pathologies. Therefore, laboratory tests that need to be performed to assess these possibilities encompass:
- Serum amylase, transaminase, myoglobin, aldolase, creatine phosphokinase, urine myoglobin
- Serum rheumatoid factor, ANA, anti-double-stranded DNA antibody
- Complement C5a levels
Treatment
CONCLUSIONS: Both treatment and no treatment improve vision in Purtscher's retinopathy patients, but the difference between no treatment and glucocorticoid therapy had no statistical significance. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Pathogenesis and neuroprotective treatment in Purtscher's retinopathy. Jpn J Ophthalmol 1998;42:318–322. 9. Atabay C, Kansu T, Nurlu G. Late visual recovery after intravenous methylprednisolone treatment of Purtscher's retinopathy. [synapse.koreamed.org]
The appearance of PLR may be associated with the implantation of an endovascular stent for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms. [pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Prognosis
Reports on visual prognosis in the literature are not uniform. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Prognosis Purtscher's retinopathy can lead to loss of vision, [7] and recovery of vision may occur very little. [2] However, vision recovery does occur in some cases, and reports have varied on the long-term prognosis. [8] References ↑ Purtscher O (1912 [wikidoc.org]
Etiology
The etiology of this phenomenon has been linked to fat necrosis and involvement of complement and the immune system. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
We review the literature on posttraumatic retinopathies; and outline the clinical characteristics of interest for injury assessment, as well as the differential diagnosis with other etiologies(AU) Responsible library: ES1.1 Localization: BNCS [pesquisa.bvsalud.org]
Trauma and acute pancreatitis were the most frequent etiologies. There was no statistically significant difference in VA improvement for patients treated with corticosteroids compared with observation. [slideplayer.com]
Epidemiology
Scientific report Clinical science - Scientific reports Purtscher’s retinopathy: epidemiology, clinical features and outcome Ashish Agrawal 1, Martin McKibbin 2 1 External Eye Diseases & Refractive Surgery, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, Manchester, UK [doi.org]
Purtscher’s retinopathy: epidemiology, clinical features and outcome. Br J Ophthalmol. 2007;91(11):1456–9. CrossRef PubMed PubMedCentral Google Scholar 2. Behrens-Baumann W, Scheurer G, Schroer H. Pathogenesis of Purtscher’s retinopathy. [link.springer.com]
Purtscher’s retinopathy: epidemiology, clinical features and outcome. Br J Ophthalmol 2007 ; 91 : 1456 –9. [cmaj.ca]
"Purtscher's retinopathy: epidemiology, clinical features, and outcome". British Journal of Ophthalmology. 91 (11): 1456–9. doi : 10.1136/bjo.2007.117408. PMC 2095457. PMID 17556428. ↑ Schmidt, D; Otto, T (June 2004). [wikidoc.org]
Pathophysiology
The case is presented with a discussion of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment options for this entity. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Pathophysiology Purtscher's retinopathy likely involves complex pathophysiology, with several contributing factors, including complement -mediated aggregates, fat, air, fibrin clots and platelet clumps. [5] The diseases leads to the formation of cotton [wikidoc.org]
Prevention
Using intravital fluorescence microscopy, we observed PMN aggregation and embolization in the mesenteric vessels of rats given intra-arterial infusions of ZAP; this was also prevented by pretreatment with 30 mg/kg MP. [jci.org]
Treatment to prevent further occurrences may involve treating heart arrhythmias, hypertension, carotid stenosis, and high cholesterol. [authorstream.com]
"Force majeure" term will be regarded as outside of the concerned party's reasonable control and any situation that "Turkiye Klinikleri" cannot prevent even though it shows due diligence. [turkiyeklinikleri.com]
Few studies reported strategies to prevent selection bias, information bias, or other bias. Risk of bias in each study for each of those variables can be requested to the corresponding author. Figure 2 Risk of bias graph. [nature.com]
References
- Agrawal A, McKibbin M. Purtscher's retinopathy: epidemiology, clinical features and outcome. Br J Ophthalmol. 2007 Nov; 91(11): 1456–1459.
- Blodi BA, Johnson MW, Gass JD, Fine SL, Joffe LM. Purtscher's-like retinopathy after childbirth. Ophthalmology. 1990 Dec;97(12):1654-9.
- Stewart MW, Brazis PW, Guier CP, Thota SH, Wilson SD. Purtscher-like retinopathy in a patient with HELLP syndrome. Am J Ophthalmol. 2007 May; 143(5):886-7.
- Buckley SA, James B. Purtscher's retinopathy. Postgrad Med J 1996; 72: 409 -412.
- Purtscher O. Noch unbekannte Befunde nach Schaedeltrauma. Ber Ophthalmol Ges 1910; 36: 294-310.
- Marr WG, Marr EG. Some observation on Purtscher's disease: traumatic retinal angiopathy. AmJ Ophthalmol 1962; 54: 69Q-7t)5.
- Roden D, Fitzpatrick G, O' Donoghue H, Phelan D. Purtscher's retinopathy and fat embolism. British Journal of Ophthalmology. 1989; 73: 677-679.
- Proença Pina J, Ssi-Yan-Kai K, de Monchy I, Charpentier B, Offret H, Labetoulle M. Purtscher-like retinopathy: case report and review of the literature. J Fr Ophtalmol. 2008;31 (6:609).
- Miguel AIM, Henriques F, Azevedo LFR, Loureiro AJR, Maberley DAL. Systematic review of Purtscher's and Purtscher-like retinopathies. Eye (Lond). 2013 Jan; 27(1): 1–1.
- Williams DF, Mieler WF, Williams GA. Posterior segment manifestations of ocular trauma. Retina 1990; 1O(suppl 1): 35-44.