International Medical Case Reports Journal (Jul 2019)
Peripheral hypertrophic subepithelial corneal degeneration: clinical aspects related to in vivo confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography
Abstract
Jeanne Martine Gunzinger, Nafsika Voulgari, Aleksandra Petrovic, Kattayoon Hashemi, Georgios KymionisLausanne University, Cornea and Refractive Surgery Department, Jules-Gonin Eye Hospital, Lausanne, SwitzerlandPurpose: To report the findings of anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) in two patients with peripheral hypertrophic subepithelial corneal degeneration (PHSD).Methods: Case series by retrospective chart review and imaging analysis of AS-OCT and IVCM.Results: Slit lamp examination of the two patients revealed a bilateral subepithelial-elevated fibrous tissue of the superior-nasal quadrant, as well as inferior-nasal in one of the patients. Best corrected visual acuity ranged from 20/25 to 20/15. AS-OCT showed continuous, homogenous, well-demarked hyperreflective subepithelial band associated with hyperreflectivity in the anterior stroma. IVCM demonstrated normal epithelial cell morphology and arrangement and a fibrous structure subepithelial and in the anterior stroma.Conclusion: AS-OCT and IVCM can facilitate the diagnosis of PHSD and differentiate it from other corneal entities that present peripheral opacifications.Keywords: peripheral hypertrophic subepithelial corneal degeneration, anterior segment optical coherence tomography, in vivo confocal microscopy, peripheral corneal opacification