Neonatal Medicine (Feb 2019)

Bilateral Acute Retinal Necrosis and Encephalomalacia Due to Herpes Simplex Virus Infection in a Premature Infant

  • Mi Hye Bae,
  • Na Rae Lee,
  • Young Mi Han,
  • Lira Yoon,
  • Young Mi Kim,
  • Shin Yun Byun,
  • Jae Jung Lee,
  • Han Jo Kwon,
  • Min Jung Kwak,
  • Kyung Hee Park

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5385/nm.2019.26.1.63
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 26, no. 1
pp. 63 – 66

Abstract

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Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a common pathogen, that causes a broad spectrum of diseases, ranging from minor skin infections to severe encephalitis and widespread infections. Acute retinal necrosis (ARN), one of the most serious manifestations of HSV infection, is defined as a rapidly progressing necrotizing retinopathy that pre­sents discrete areas of circumferential retinal necrosis, along with signs of uveitis, vitreitis, and retinal vasculitis. We encountered a case of a female infant, born at 33 weeks of gestation with a body weight at birth of 2,080 g, who had ARN and encepha­lomalacia due to HSV infection. ARN associated with HSV infection should be sus­pected when nonspecific retinal exudates are observed in neonates, especially preterm infants.

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