Fluorescein angiographic features of the congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium in the familial adenomatous polyposis.

PURPOSE: To asses the prevalence of fluorescein angiographic features in bilateral and multifocal Congenital Hypertrophy of the Retinal Pigment Epithelium (CHRPE) in patients with a diagnosis of familial adenomatous polyposis.

METHODS

We performed prospective angiographic and clinical examination of 49 CHPRE lesions in 15 patients.

RESULTS

About 77.5% of CHRPE lesions were close to retinal vessels. The retinal vascular changes observed overlying and surrounding the CHRPE were: capillary non-perfusion with an area greater than 0.5 disc diameters (41%), capillary microaneurysms (4%), chorioretinal anastomoses (6.2%), attenuation of retinal vessels (4%), choriocapillary vessels inside the lacunae (6.2%) and in the depigmented marginal halo (18.4%). Depigmented streaks in contact with one or both edges of the CHRPE were observed in 79.6% of the lesions. About 9.6% of the lesions were not seen on ophthalmoscopy and could only be detected by angiography.

CONCLUSIONS

Even though the diagnosis of CHRPE is clinical, fluorescein angiography may be useful in confirming the diagnosis, as well as detecting additional lesions not seen by means of ophthalmoscopic examination.