BackgroundHerpetic necrotizing retinitis is a well-recognized entity. A few cases of herpetic non-necrotizing retinitis were previously reported.FindingsWe retrospectively report two cases of herpetic non-necrotizing retinopathy with a long follow-up. A 19-year-old woman presented with a bilateral diffuse occlusive retinal vasculitis, peripheral neovascularization, and no signs of retinal necrosis. Long-lasting immunosuppressive treatment failed to control the vasculitis until herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) was demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the aqueous. Acyclovir was then added and immunosuppressive tapered and eventually stopped resulting in a resolution of vasculitis. Only two relapses occurred during the next 6 years and responded rapidly to oral acyclovir.An 11-year-old boy presented with unilateral scar of stromal keratitis, severe vitritis, and optic disc neovascularization, followed 6 weeks later by peripheral occlusive retinal vasculitis. Therapeutic and diagnostic vitrectomy was performed, and PCR was found to be positive for varicella zoster virus (VZV) in a vitreous specimen. The inflammation responded to oral acyclovir therapy. Recurrence of anterior uveitis with iris depigmentation occurred 4 months after treatment was arrested. After 4 years, he presented again with a recurrence of anterior inflammation and cystoid macular edema (CME). No sign of inflammation was seen for the next 10 years.ConclusionsThese rare cases support the possible role of herpes viruses (HSV or VZV) in occlusive vasculitis without retinal necrosis. PCR was useful to raise the diagnosis and to adapt the treatment. A good response was obtained on oral antiviral therapy.
Biemond syndrome type 2 (BS2) is classically regarded as a recessively inherited condition (MIM 210350) comprising mental retardation, coloboma, obesity, polydactyly, hypogonadism, hydrocephalus, and facial dysostosis. Clinically, the disorder is closely related to Bardet-Biedl syndrome. Few cases have been reported, most of them before 1970. We present clinical data on three mentally retarded sporadic cases with coloboma, obesity, and hypogenitalism (in two of them), fitting as first glance a diagnosis of BS2. A review documents striking clinical variability among the patients said to have BS2. We propose a new nosology of those cases and delineate several new clinical forms. Purported BS2 cases may be divided into: (1) Bardet-Biedl syndrome with fortuitous coloboma or aniridia, (2) BS2 sensu stricto, a recessively inherited syndrome of sexual infantilism, short stature, coloboma, and preaxial polydactyly without obesity, only known from the original report, (3) a "new" dominantly inherited form of colobomatous microphthalmia occasionally associated with obesity, hypogonadism, and mental retardation, to which our observations belong. (4) cytogenetically proven Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (one case), (5) an unclassifiable, early lethal familial syndrome resembling Buntinx-Majewski syndrome, and (6) a "new" coloboma-zygodactyly-clefting syndrome. The latter two syndromes may result from chromosomal anomaly.
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