Masquerade syndrome: T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia presenting as panuveitis.

PURPOSE: To report a case of T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia with panuveitis as the primary presenting feature.

METHODS

Case report.

RESULTS

A 46-year-old woman presented with pain and blurred vision in the right eye. She was found to have signs of panuveitis with a central exudative retinal detachment. Further investigations revealed that she was suffering from the rare T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia. Both systemic and ocular manifestations of the disease resolved after chemotherapy with Campath-IH antigen and as she went into complete remission. The exudative detachment settled, and visual acuity recovered to 20/20.

CONCLUSION

This case illustrates that leukemias can present with primarily ocular findings, and the sudden appearance of a serous retinal detachment with inflammatory signs in an otherwise healthy person warrants a thorough systemic screening for an underlying malignancy.