ANCA in ocular inflammatory disorders.

400 patients presenting with active inflammation of the conjunctiva, sclera, orbita, uvea or retina were cANCA negative during active disease, however, pANCA were found in 15%. Another group of 100 patients suffering from Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) showed in 72 cases one or multiple ocular inflammatory symptoms. They were frequently cANCA-positive. Contrary to some other reports dealing with ocular inflammation, we find a high specificity of cANCA for Wegener's granulomatosis and, therefore, recommend cANCA-testing in all ocular inflammatory disorders, which may be difficult to differentiate from a manifestation of WG.