Sneddon's syndrome with optic disc macroaneurysm and macular edema successfully treated with subtenon steroid injection.

Editor,

Here, we report a patient with Sneddon's syndrome who developed optic disc macroaneurysm and resulting macular oedema, which was successfully treated with a posterior subtenon injection of triamcinolone acetonide (STTA).

In March 2014, a 48‐year‐old man with impaired central vision and image distortion in his right eye was referred to the Medical Retina Division Clinic of Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University Hospital (Tokyo, Japan). His right fundus showed optic disc macroaneurysm (Fig. 1A, arrow) and macular oedema with hard exudates. His visual acuity (VA) was 1.0 in decimal VA (0 in logMAR) at the first visit. Fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) showed delayed perfusion in an inferotemporal branch retinal artery (arm to the branch perfusion time, 31 seconds; Fig. 1B, arrowheads) and optic disc macroaneurysm at the beginning of the branch artery (Fig. 1B and C). He had a history of recurrent inferotemporal branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) from August 2012. He had been diagnosed with Sneddon's syndrome based on the characteristic livedo reticularis (Fig. 1D), labile hypertension and stroke (Fig. 1E, arrowheads) (Sneddon 1965) at Department of Internal Medicine in November 2012. He showed a high serum anticardiolipin antibody level and was treated with warfarin, aspirin, prednisolone (5 mg/day) and a hypotensive drug.

Figure 1

(A) Fundus photograph at first visit. Exudative changes including subretinal fluid and hard exudates were found around the aneurysm (arrow) located close to the optic disc. (B, C) Fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) before the first subtenon steroid injection (STTA). (B, arrowheads) The inferotemporal branch artery showed delayed perfusion and (C) optic disc aneurysm was clearly observed. (D, E) Systemic findings of Sneddon's syndrome. (D) Livedo reticularis of the lower leg and (E, arrowheads) T2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scan showing multiple ischaemic lesions. (F–I) Optical coherence tomography (OCT). (F) Subfoveal fluid, retinal oedema and (G, arrowheads) lumen of the optic disc aneurysm were recorded before the initial STTA. (H) OCT showed that exudative changes were resolved and (I, arrowheads) aneurysm lumen was regressed, 12 months after initial STTA. (J) FFA also visualized the diminished aneurysm size 12 months after initial STTA.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed cystic macular oedema and subfoveal serous retinal detachment and resulting increased central retinal thickness (CRT, 467 μm, Fig. 1F). OCT of the optic disc revealed lumen of the optic disc macroaneurysm (Fig. 1G, arrowheads). Three months following STTA administration (20 mg), the subfoveal fluid had disappeared, and CRT had reduced to 200 μm. An additional STTA was performed 5 months after the initial injection to treat the residual macular oedema around the optic disc. Twelve months after the first STTA, the exudative changes had resolved (Fig. 1H), and the optic disc macroaneurysm had regressed [Fig. 1I (arrowheads) and J].

Ultrastructural analysis of skin biopsy in Sneddon's syndrome has revealed a reduction in the capillary lumens due to proliferation of endothelial cells and basement membrane (Lewandowska et al. 2005). Sixty per cent of patients have antiphospholipid antibodies suggesting the involvement of inflammatory processes (Stockhammer et al. 1993). Therefore, this syndrome carries a risk of vascular occlusion. In fact, among the rarely reported cases of ocular manifestations of Sneddon's syndrome, six of eight reported cases exhibited retinal art‐ery occlusion (Jonas et al. 1986), and one showed retinal vein occlusion (Aggermann et al. 2007). Our case also included a history of BRAO. However, the current episode was a secondary complication of macroaneurysm, and this is the first case of Sneddon's syndrome associated with retinal macroaneurysm. The distinct vascular wall abnormality with thrombosis related to antiphospholipid antibodies could have induced the aneurysm formation. Moreover, BRAO could have been related to the macroaneurysmal turbulent flow; however, no FFA recordings were performed at the first onset of BRAO.

Retinal macroaneurysms usually occur in patients aged over sixty with hypertension and unilaterally. They affect the major arterial branches posterior to the equator but are rarely (only 5%) found in the peripapillary region. Our case was atypical in terms of age, sex and aneurysm location. This may be because his aneurysm was related to the vascular changes specific to Sneddon's syndrome. In this case, STTA successfully resolved macular oedema and significantly regressed the macroaneurysm, suggesting the involvement of inflammatory processes in his pathogenesis. This is consistent with the evidence that systemic corticosteroid treatment is beneficial for antiphospholipid antibody‐positive Sneddon's syndrome affecting various organs.

In conclusion, here we report the first case of optic disc macroaneurysm with macular oedema as an ocular complication of Sneddon's syndrome and its successful treatment with local steroid injection.