Sequels of Purtscher's retinopathy imaged by enhanced optical coherence tomography

Abstract

PURPOSE: To report the optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings in a case of Purtscher's retinopathy. METHODS: Enhanced optical coherence tomography, fundus photography, multifocal electroretinography. RESULTS: A 27-years-old female parachutist demonstrated outer retinal opacification with small intraretinal hemorrhages and corresponding binocular pericentric ring scotomata one day after suffering an unusually abrupt arrest of a free fall upon the unfolding of her parachute. When seen 20 years later, the scotomata were unchanged and optical coherence tomography showed bilateral disorganization at the transition between the retinal photoreceptor outer segments and the retinal pigment epithelium plus attenuation of the outer nuclear layer. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations document that the long term sequels of Purtscher's retinopathy are located in the outer segments of the photoreceptors.