[Proliferative retinal vasculitis and multiple sclerosis: a case report].

INTRODUCTION: Retinal periphlebitis can precede the neurological effects of multiple sclerosis and reveal the disease. Although these occurrences of vasculitis are noted in 10% - 35% of multiple sclerosis patients, proliferative retinopathy is, on the contrary, an exceptional complication.

CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 28-year-old woman who presented bilateral, proliferative, retinal vasculitis complicated with recurrent vitreous hemorrhages occurring with multiple sclerosis. Initially, there was a unilateral, central venous thrombosis in a particularly ischemic and proliferative form. After a neurological, biological and radiological check-up, the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was pronounced and treatment with Interferon was started. A pan-retinal laser photocoagulation and vitrectomy with proliferative membrane peeling were performed. After a follow-up of 2.5 years, a bilateral epiretinal membrane on the macula with a chronic macular edema persisted, with visual acuity limited to 0.2 Parinaud 4 in the right eye and 0.5 Parinaud 2 in the left eye.

DISCUSSION: This case shows that the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis must be established in cases of ischemic retinal vasculitis, especially as the literature does not seem to report a correlation between the retinal vascular affect and how far multiple sclerosis has progressed. Moreover, the visual prognosis of these proliferative lesions remains uncertain.

CONCLUSION: Multiple sclerosis can be revealed initially, although exceptionally, by bilateral, proliferative and severe retinal vasculitis complicated with recurrent vitreous hemorrhages and tractional retinal detachment.