Objectives To observe the clinical characteristics of patients with posterior scleritis. Methods Ten patients with 16 eyes diagnosed as posterior scleritis were enrolled in this study. Ten patients consisted of seven males and three females. Their age ranged from 18 to 75 years old, with a mean age of 42.0plusmn;14.7 years old. Except for two patients aged 18 and 75 years old, the other eight patients aged 33 to 55 years old. Routine eye examination was performed including visual acuity, slit lamp microscope, ophthalmoscope, B scan ultrasound, color fundus photography, fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), orbit MRI and chest Xray. According to the B scan ultrasonic examination, these ten posterior scleritis cases were divided into diffused and nodular types. Among them, the diffused type had 8 cases (14 eyes), the nodular type had 2 cases (2 eyes). The visual acuities of ten patients were from light perception to 0.4. The blood laboratory tests were negative in all cases. The diffused posterior scleritis patients received systemic and (or) local glucocorticoid therapy. The nodular posterior scleritis patients could not be ruled out choroidal melanoma in the initial evaluation, and they underwent enucleation operation in other hospitals. Results In the 14 eyes of diffused posterior scleritis, conjunctival congestion and edema were observed in 8 eyes, eyelid edema in 2 eyes, normal eye surface in 4 eyes. In the two eyes of nodular posterior scleritis, there was no conjunctival congestion and edema or eyelids swelling. All 16 eyes performed FFA, 11 eyes had fundus posterior pole early dot-like hyperfluorescence followed by leakage of fluorescence in the late stage, two eyes had hyperfluorescence mixed with hypofluorescence in the nearby retina of the lesion, and the rest three eyes had no abnormality in FFA. In 14 eyes of diffused type posterior scleritis, B scan ultrasound showed diffused scleral thickening more than 2 mm in 10 eyes with a typical quot;Tquot; shape sign. The other 4 eyes did not show typical sign in ultrasound. In 2 eyes of nodular type, ultrasound showed nodular enhanced echo in choroid with medium internal reflection and abundant blood flow. Eleven eyes underwent orbit MRI scan, 9 eyes displayed diffused posterior sclera thickening, 2 eyes showed nodular lesions in choroid. All lesions showed low signal on T1WI, high signal on T2WI. After treatment, six diffused posterior scleritis patients recovered to normal scleral thickness. Two nodular posterior scleritis patients underwent enucleation showed granulomatous posterior scleritis and necrotic posterior scleritis in pathology. Overall, 16 eyes of 10 patients were misdiagnosed as chronic angleclosure glaucoma in 2 eyes, acute iridocyclitis in 1 eye, central serous chorioretinopathy in 2 eyes, retrobulbar neuritis in 2 eyes, and choroidal melanoma in 2 eyes. Conclusions Posterior scleritis occurs mostly in young patients. The diffused posterior scleritis patients usually has anterior segment signs including conjunctival congestion and edema or eyelids swelling, while the nodular posterior scleritis patients has normal anterior segment signs. B scan ultrasonic and MRI examination showed typical image features. Systemic and (or) local glucocorticoid therapy can effectively release the symptoms of these patients.
ObjectiveTo summarize the clinical features and visual outcome of posterior scleritis presented with symptoms involving affected optic nerve.MethodsRetrospective case series study. Twelve eyes of 12 female patients with posterior scleritis were included in this study. The average age was 35.2±14.31 years old. The patients got diagnosed with an average of 24.75±22.91 days. Ocular pain was complained in all patients, and blurred vision in 11 patients. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), slit lamp microscope examination, B-scan ultrasound, optical coherence tomography (OCT), fundus photography, fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and ocular wall thickness measurement were performed in all patients. Nine eyes received visual field examination. All patients received systemic corticosteroid and steroidal eye drops for 3 months. Clinical features and outcome were retrospectively studied.ResultsBefore treatment, the BCVA was from ＜0.1 to ＞0.8. There were 3 eyes with scleral hyperemia, 3 eyes with anterior chamber flares, 12 eyes with papilledema and different degrees of retinal vein dilatation, 3 eyes with star-shaped macular exudates and 2 eyes with macular retinal pigment epithelium detachment. B-scan ultrasound demonstrated that the ocular walls were thickening in all eyes with typical T-sign, and the average thickness was 2.76±0.68 mm. OCT demonstrated optic disc swelling, and the macular retinal detachment in 2 eyes. In the FFA examination, the fluorescein leakage of the disc was enhanced with time. In the Humphrey test, the value of mean deviation (MD) was 12.56±5.73 dB and pattern standard deviation (PSD) was 8.15±4.23 dB in 9 eyes before the treatment. After treatment for 3 months, the symptoms were attenuated and the visual acuity was obviously improved with BCVA>0.1 in all eyes. Scleral hyperemia and anterior chamber flares were only found in 1 eye. The optic disc edema gradually faded away. The ocular wall thickness in the poster part of the eyeball decreased, and the T-sign disappeared in all eyes, the average thickness was 1.53±0.41 mm. Compared with parameters before the treatment, the difference was statistically significant (t=0.003 5, P＜0.05). OCT demonstrated the recovery of the macular retinal detachment. There was no abnormal leakage evidenced in FFA in the optic disc and macular. After treatment, the value of MD and PSD was 5.19±4.82 dB and (4.33±3.76) dB, respectively. The difference of MD value between before and after the treatment was significant (t=0.026, P＜0.05).ConclusionsPosterior scleritis with an initial symptom of optic nerve was tend to affect middle-aged patients, with clinical manifestations of anterior segment signs in some patients and optic disc swelling with retinal vein dilatation in all patients. B ultrasound examination showed typical T sign. Systemic corticosteroid treatment always obtained remission of the ocular inflammatory activity, and could achieve favorable visual outcome.