Early diagnosis of Nocardia asteroides endophthalmitis by retinal biopsy: case report and review.

Publication/Presentation Date

1-1-1990

Abstract

Hematogenous nocardial endophthalmitis is a rare but devastating infection. Of a total of 10 cases (one described for the first time and nine reported previously in the English-language literature), the lung appeared to be the primary focus of infection in eight (80%). Six (60%) of the cases occurred in individuals receiving corticosteroid therapy; these individuals had undergone renal transplantation (two cases) or cardiac transplantation (one case) and had underlying conditions that included lymphoma (two cases) and chronic active hepatitis (one case). In two immunocompetent individuals, infection followed dissemination from traumatic wounds. Common clinical findings were a rapid decrease in visual acuity and eye pain. All nine of the previously reported cases resulted in total blindness of the involved eye; five patients died not long after diagnosis. In the present report (the first in a cardiac transplant recipient), a favorable outcome with restoration of vision followed early diagnosis through the recently developed technique of fine-needle retinal biopsy.

Volume

12

Issue

3

First Page

393

Last Page

398

ISSN

0162-0886

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

PubMedID

2193345

Department(s)

Department of Medicine

Document Type

Article

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