A Case of Hypopyon Uveitis Associated With Relapsing Polychondritis

Tae Hoon Lim; Jung Il Han

doi:10.3341/jkos.2009.50.3.486

Journal List > J Korean Ophthalmol Soc > v.50(3) > 1008512

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Lim and Han: A Case of Hypopyon Uveitis Associated With Relapsing Polychondritis

Original Article

J Korean Ophthalmol Soc 2009;50(3):486-490.

Published online: 31 August 2009

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2009.50.3.486

A Case of Hypopyon Uveitis Associated With Relapsing Polychondritis

Tae Hoon Lim, MD, Jung Il Han, MD

Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Konyang University, Kim's Eye Hospital, Seoul, Korea

Address reprint requests to Jung Il Han, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital #156 4ga Youngdeungpo-dong, Youngdeungpo-gu, Seoul 150-034, Korea Tel: 82-2-2639-7777, Fax: 82-2-2633-3976, E-mail: han66139@kimeye.com

Received 13 May 2008 Accepted 19 August 2008

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

Relapsing polychondritis is an uncommon systemic autoimmune disorder which is characterized by recurrent and often progressive inflammatory episodes involving multiple organ systems, including the ophthalmic, otorhinolaryngeal, respiratory, musculoskeletal, renal, cardiovascular, and dermatologic systems. The most common ocular manifestations are episcleritis and scleritis. Uveitis, especially the nongranulomatous type, has been reported in 3% to 22% of relapsing polychondritis cases. We report uncommon hypopyon uveitis as an ophthalmic finding associated with relapsing polychondritis.

Case summary

A 56-year-old woman with known relapsing polychondritis presented with ocular pain and redness in the right eye which had developed two months before and was managed for scleritis. However, she developed blurred vision, and hypopyon and vitreous opacity was found. The patient presented to our clinic and we diagnosed her with hypopyon uveitis associated with relapsing polychondritis. The patient was started on systemic steroid therapy consisting of 1% prednisolone acetate, 0.5% moxifloxacin, and 0.5% tobramycin in the right eye. Hypopyon disappeared 8 days following the initiation of treatment, and all symptoms had resolved after 14 days.

Keywords: Hypopyon, Relapsing polychondritis, Uveitis

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Figure 1.

Photograph shows saddle nose deformity.

Figure 2.

Right ear shows deformity resulting from inflammation of auricular cartilage.

Figure 3.

Slitlamp photograph of the right eye of patient showing dilated conjunctival, episcleral, and scleral vessels; a subconjunctival hemorrhage prelenticular exudative membrane; posterior synechia and anterior chamber inflammation with hypopyon.

Figure 4.

Four days after treatment, the hypopyon and exudative membrane both had resolved and dilated conjunctival, episcleral, and scleral vessels were some what restored.

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