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Idiopathic multifocal choroiditis
Author(s) -
NERI P.,
Pirani V.,
Lassandro N.,
Nicolai M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2017.03535
Subject(s) - choroiditis , choroidal neovascularization , medicine , retinal pigment epithelium , uveitis , ophthalmology , stroma , pathology , retinal , choroid , retina , biology , immunohistochemistry , neuroscience
Summary Idiopathic multifocal choroiditis ( IMFC ) is an umbrella term used to describe a specific phenotype of uveitis, which presents multiple inflammatory foci in the retino‐choroidal tissue. In the past, such disease has been described with a number of different names, such as punctate inner choroidopathy, multifocal choroiditis with panuveitis and progressive subretinal fibrosis and uveitis syndrome. This chronic, progressive, bilateral inflammatory chorioretinopathy has been recently identified as a unique entity with a variable phenotype both in terms of clinical expression and severity. The sites which are affected most are the retinal pigment epithelium ( RPE ), outer retinal spaces and choriocapillaris, while the choroidal stroma has a marginal involvement. During the acute stage, choroidal neovascularization ( CNV ) can occur, representing the most severe complication in such disease. Albeit there is not general agreement for the treatment strategy, steroids and immunesuppressive agents, with or without intravitreal anti‐vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF ) drugs depending on the presence of CNV , represent effective methods for the control of IMFC .