The multifaceted presentation of syphilitic chorioretinitis examined by multimodal imaging: A case series

Abstract

Ocular syphilis is also known as the ‘great masquerader’ for the wide variety of clinical features associated with this infection. Although chorioretinitis represents the most frequent manifestation in the posterior pole, other clinical entities can be described, including retinal vasculitis, optic disc disorders, necrotizing vasculitis and acute syphilitic posterior placoid chorioretinopathy (ASPPC). This latter is an infrequent ocular manifestation of syphilis, whose pathophysiology remains still unknown; however, multimodal imaging, including optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), has enabled us to better describe its pathophysiology and clinical course. In this study we report a case series of 3 different patients with syphilis-related chorioretinopathies; in this regard, the role of multimodal imaging has emerged has an extremely useful approach in order to better understand the pathophysiology of syphilitic chorioretinopathies. This could help clinicians (both ophthalmologist and infectious disease specialists) to early treat and prevent the severe ocular complications related to this fearsome disease.

Keywords

• Ocular syphilis
• Uveitis
• Chorioretinitis
• oct
• Multimodal imaging