Desferrioxamine-Related Pseudo-Vitelliform Dystrophy and the Effect of Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor

Abstract

We report a case of a 72-year-old female who developed bilateral pseudo-vitelliform dystrophy after taking desferrioxamine for the treatment of chronic iron overload. The patient then developed a right superior hemiretinal vein occlusion associated with intraretinal fluid in the right eye and was treated with monthly intravitreal aflibercept injections for 3 months followed by as required treatment. In addition to the intraretinal fluid responding to anti-VEGF treatment, there was a reduction in the size of the pseudo-vitelliform subfoveal deposit height, which was not seen in the untreated eye. Our case of an uncommon presentation of desferrioxamine-related maculopathy associated with a vein occlusion and the changes associated with intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment may help with the potential hypotheses of the pathophysiology of desferrioxamine-related pseudo-vitelliform retinal lesions and help with the potential future treatments of the condition.

Keywords

• desferrioxamine-related maculopathy
• pseudo-vitelliform dystrophy
• anti-vegf
• desferrioxamine (desferal, deferoxamine)