Widefield Fluorescein Angiography Helps in Diagnosing Susac Syndrome
Diagnosing Susac syndrome is extremely difficult because of the rarity of the disease and the signs and symptoms that often occur at different times. In a study, researchers of Poland suggests that widefield Fluorescein angiography (WF-FA), can be helpful in the evaluation of patients referred for suspected Susac syndrome. The study findings were published in the journal RETINA, on July 2021.
Susac syndrome (SS) is a rare immune-mediated disorder that involves encephalopathy, hearing loss, and branch retinal artery occlusion. Multidisciplinary approaches and multimodal images are mandatory for diagnosis and prompt therapy. Researchers from the Infant Jesus Teaching Hospital, University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland conducted a study to present the clinical manifestations and results of key diagnostic investigations in patients with Susac syndrome, with special emphasis on the principal role of fluorescein angiography (FA) of the peripheral retina.
In this retrospective analysis of medical records, the researchers evaluated 20 patients (15 women and five men), aged 20 to 51 years with complete or incomplete Susac syndrome diagnosed by an ophthalmic examination and widefield fluorescein angiography (WF-FA) by Spectralis and Optos Tx200.
Key Findings of the Study Were:
- Upon analysis, the researchers found that fluorescein angiography abnormalities included vascular changes in the posterior pole in 64.7% and the peripheral retina in 82.4%.
- They observed widefield FA abnormalities in 35% of peripheral retinas and posterior poles but without peripheral involvement in 17.6% of eyes.
- They noted secondary leakage from veins in 58.8%
They noted, "Widefield FA of the peripheral retina has a key role in cases of suspected Susac syndrome as it confirms the diagnosis and assesses disease activity. In addition to the characteristic findings, late-phase FA revealed leakage from veins which is not a typical sign."
The authors concluded, "Patients experiencing migraine headaches may benefit from increasing awareness of neurologists and otologists who more promptly referred patients with suspected Susac syndrome for ophthalmologic evaluation and WF-FA of the peripheral retina."
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