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Figure 1. Peripapillary choroidal thickening and cavitation. Color photographs from patient 1 (A), patient 2 (B), and patient 3 (C) with high myopia (≥−8 diopters) reveal well-circumscribed yellow-orange lesions at the inferior border of the myopic conus. The arrows correspond to the scan locations in Figure 2.

Figure 1. Peripapillary choroidal thickening and cavitation. Color photographs from patient 1 (A), patient 2 (B), and patient 3 (C) with high myopia (≥−8 diopters) reveal well-circumscribed yellow-orange lesions at the inferior border of the myopic conus. The arrows correspond to the scan locations in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography reveals a spectrum of findings in peripapillary choroidal thickening and cavitation, including choroidal thickening without cavitation (arrows) in patient 1 (A) and patient 2 (B) and choroidal thickening and hyporeflective choroidal cavitation (arrow) in patient 3 (C).

Figure 2. Enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography reveals a spectrum of findings in peripapillary choroidal thickening and cavitation, including choroidal thickening without cavitation (arrows) in patient 1 (A) and patient 2 (B) and choroidal thickening and hyporeflective choroidal cavitation (arrow) in patient 3 (C).

1.
Freund KB, Ciardella AP, Yannuzzi LA,  et al.  Peripapillary detachment in pathologic myopia.  Arch Ophthalmol. 2003;121(2):197-20412583785PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
2.
Shimada N, Ohno-Matsui K, Yoshida T,  et al.  Characteristics of peripapillary detachment in pathologic myopia.  Arch Ophthalmol. 2006;124(1):46-5216401784PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
3.
Toranzo J, Cohen SY, Erginay A, Gaudric A. Peripapillary intrachoroidal cavitation in myopia.  Am J Ophthalmol. 2005;140(4):731-73216226529PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
4.
Spaide RF, Koizumi H, Pozzoni MC. Enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.  Am J Ophthalmol. 2008;146(4):496-50018639219PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
Research Letter
Aug 2011

Peripapillary Choroidal Thickening and Cavitation

Author Affiliations

Author Affiliations: Vitreous Retina Macula Consultants of New York (Drs Freund and Cooney), Department of Ophthalmology, New York University (Drs Freund and Cooney), and The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary (Dr Mukkamala), New York.

Arch Ophthalmol. 2011;129(8):1096-1097. doi:10.1001/archophthalmol.2011.208

In the February 2003 issue of the Archives, we described a new funduscopic lesion that we termed peripapillary detachment in pathologic myopia.1 Clinically, these lesions were seen as a well-circumscribed yellow-orange thickening at the inferior border of the myopic conus. First-generation optical coherence tomographic imaging appeared to show a peripapillary detachment of retinal pigment epithelium and retina. The lesions remained stable during a multiyear follow-up period and did not appear to affect visual function. Further studies, including one in the Archives by Shimada et al,2 supported our findings and added that peripapillary detachment in pathologic myopia could surround the entire optic disc and may be associated with abnormalities of retinal vasculature and with visual field defects. With newer-generation optical coherence tomographic imaging, Toranzo et al3 reevaluated these lesions and observed an intrachoroidal hyporeflective space with normal overlying retinal pigment epithelium and retina. This finding was inconsistent with our original description. They suggested a new term for the lesion, peripapillary intrachoroidal cavitation.

We have followed the literature regarding these lesions and agree that our initial interpretation was inaccurate. We have reexamined this entity using enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography as described by Spaide et al.4 Using this technique, we have noted that the characteristic peripapillary lesions may be associated with choroidal thickening with or without hyporeflective areas of cavitation (Figure 1, Figure 2, and video). We reaffirm the findings of Toranzo and colleagues; however, we propose the term peripapillary choroidal thickening and cavitation to more accurately reflect a spectrum of optical coherence tomographic findings associated with this lesion.

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Article Information

Correspondence: Dr Freund, Vitreous Retina Macula Consultants of New York, 460 Park Ave, Fifth Floor, New York, NY 10022 (kbfnyf@aol.com).

Financial Disclosure: None reported.

Funding/Support: This work was supported by The Macula Foundation, Inc, New York, New York.

References
1.
Freund KB, Ciardella AP, Yannuzzi LA,  et al.  Peripapillary detachment in pathologic myopia.  Arch Ophthalmol. 2003;121(2):197-20412583785PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
2.
Shimada N, Ohno-Matsui K, Yoshida T,  et al.  Characteristics of peripapillary detachment in pathologic myopia.  Arch Ophthalmol. 2006;124(1):46-5216401784PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
3.
Toranzo J, Cohen SY, Erginay A, Gaudric A. Peripapillary intrachoroidal cavitation in myopia.  Am J Ophthalmol. 2005;140(4):731-73216226529PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
4.
Spaide RF, Koizumi H, Pozzoni MC. Enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.  Am J Ophthalmol. 2008;146(4):496-50018639219PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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