Cancer-associated retinopathy (CAR) with electronegative ERG: a case report

Cancer-associated retinopathy (CAR) should be suspected in patients who present with visual symptoms such as rapid unexplained visual loss and seeing shimmering lights, with an abnormal ERG. Electronegative ERG responses are not exclusive to melanoma-associated retinopathy (MAR) but may be seen in C...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Documenta ophthalmologica 2008, Vol.116 (1), p.49-55
Main Authors: Goetgebuer, Griet, Kestelyn-Stevens, Anna-Maria, De Laey, Jean-Jacques, Kestelyn, Philippe, Leroy, Bart P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Carcinoma, Small Cell - pathology
Case Report
Dermatology
Electrophysiology
Electroretinography - methods
Fatal Outcome
Female
Fluorescein Angiography
Humans
Lung Neoplasms - pathology
Medical sciences
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Ophthalmology
Paraneoplastic Syndromes - diagnosis
Pneumology
Retinal Diseases - diagnosis
Retinopathies
Scotoma - diagnosis
Tumors of the respiratory system and mediastinum
Tumors of the skin and soft tissue. Premalignant lesions
Visual Acuity
Visual Fields
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Cancer-associated retinopathy (CAR) should be suspected in patients who present with visual symptoms such as rapid unexplained visual loss and seeing shimmering lights, with an abnormal ERG. Electronegative ERG responses are not exclusive to melanoma-associated retinopathy (MAR) but may be seen in CAR as well. We describe a patient with CAR who presented with an electronegative ERG. A 67-year old woman, who presented with complaints of seeing shimmering lights, underwent an extensive ophthalmological and electrophysiological examination. Best-corrected visual acuity was 7/10 in the right and 9/10 in the left eye. Goldmann visual fields showed relative central scotomata and concentric narrowing. Slit-lamp and fundus examination were normal as was fluorescein angiography. Rod-specific ERG responses were severely reduced, with electronegative maximal combined rod-cone responses and delayed cone-responses with normal amplitudes. Melanoma-associated retinopathy was suspected. Extensive dermatological and internal evaluation eventually revealed an oat-cell carcinoma in the right lung. The patient died of pneumonia 2 years after presentation.
ISSN:0012-4486
1573-2622
DOI:10.1007/s10633-007-9074-9