Imaging Vitreous Cortex Hyalocyte Response to Paracentral Acute Middle Maculopathy (PAMM) Using OCT

Introduction: Vitreous cortex hyalocytes (VCH) are resident macrophage cells that provide immunosurveillance, respond to tissue injury and inflammation, and help maintain the transparency of the media. In this case report we demonstrate the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to image VCH in a patient presenting with PAMM secondary to antiphospholipid syndrome.

Case Description: A 38-year-old female with no known medical history presented with complaints of visual disturbances in the right eye. OCT revealed hyperreflective bands in the IPL and INL nasal to the fovea. A diagnosis of PAMM was made. Work-up revealed elevated titers of antiphospholipid antibodies. OCT revealed a decline in the inflammatory activation over a seven-month period as evidenced by changes in VCH distribution and morphology.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that monitoring changes in the distribution and morphology of VCH could have a potential clinical utility for assessing disease severity, predicting recovery, and early recognition of treatment response in various inflammatory ocular pathologies such as PAMM.