Bilateral symmetrical corneal melting following intravesical Bacille Calmette-Guerin therapy for bladder carcinoma

Abstract

A 63-year-old man with unremarkable previous ocular history presented with bilateral symmetrical corneal ulceration along with mucopurulent conjunctivitis and dry eye 10 days after the fourth dose of intravesical Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) instillation for treatment of bladder carcinoma. Slit lamp examination revealed thinning of the cornea at the base of the ulcer in both eyes. Conjunctival swab and scraping from ulcer sent for Gram and acid fast bacilli stain and culture were negative. On the basis of history, clinical examination, and laboratory investigations, we diagnosed it as bilateral immune mediated sterile corneal ulceration along with mucopurulent conjunctivitis and dry eye. He was treated with topical antibiotics, cycloplegics, cyclosporine, lubricant gel, and bandage contact lens. There was progressive stromal melting, descemetocele formation, and perforation in the inferior part of cornea in both the eyes. He was treated with pulse steroid and paramedian tarsorraphy in both eyes. The patient was subsequently lost to follow-up. We report this case to highlight this rare complication of BCG therapy, in order to improve their management protocol in patients with similar clinical profile. We could not find a similar case after thorough PubMed search.

Bacille Calmette-Guérin: An ophthalmic perspective

“…Chakraborty and coworkers reported a case of bilateral symmetrical corneal ulceration with mucopurulent conjunctivitis and dry eye following the fourth dose of IBCG 24 . The case went on to have a bilateral descemetocele and ocular perforation.…”