CASE REPORT |
|
Year : 2018 | Volume
: 66
| Issue : 2 | Page : 322-324 |
|
Real-time polymerase chain reaction in acute retinal necrosis following encephalitis
Vinita Rao, Jyotirmay Biswas, Gopal Lingam
Uveitis Service, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Vinita Rao Uveitis Service, Sankara Nethralaya, 18, College Road, Chennai - 600 006 Tamil Nadu India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ijo.IJO_748_17
|
|
Acute retinal necrosis (ARN) following herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) in an immunocompetent patient is a rare condition. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has made it possible to identify and quantify viral genome. We report a case of ARN following HSE managed with the help of qPCR. A 45-year-old man developed ARN following HSE and was treated with intravenous acyclovir and intravitreal foscarnet. The retinitis did not respond initially and the qPCR demonstrated a rise in the number of copies of the HSV-1 viral genome. With continued treatment with intravenous acyclovir and intravitreal ganciclovir, the retinitis healed and the qPCR confirmed a reduction in the viral load. qPCR has a high sensitivity and specificity for HSV and is a useful tool for diagnosis and treatment of viral retinitis.
|
|
|
|
[FULL TEXT] [PDF]* |
|
 |
|