Retinal disorders in preeclampsia studied with optical coherence tomography

PURPOSE: To report optical coherence tomography (OCT) of retinal disorders in preeclampsia. DESIGN: Observational case report. METHODS: A 24-year-old woman developed hypertension (190/100 mm Hg), proteinuria, and generalized edema in the 34th week of pregnancy. Soon after undergoing a cesarean section, she noted severe impairment of vision in both eyes. RESULTS: Ten days after delivery, OCT showed a diffuse intraretinal edema that was still present but in a minor degree 2 months later. Eight months after delivery macular edema had resolved, but the highly reflective band of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and choriocapillaris was thickened with focal elevations corresponding to the Elschnig spots. CONCLUSION: In the acute phase of preeclampsia, OCT revealed a diffuse increase in macular thickness. Two months after delivery, macular edema still existed but in a minor degree. Eight months after the first examination, OCT depicted restoration of the contour of the fovea. Moreover, OCT showed the characteristic RPE focal elevations and abnormalities corresponding to the Elschnig spots.