Evaluation of pulse corticosteroid therapy for vogt-koyanagi-harada disease assessed by optical coherence tomography.

Abstract

To evaluate the rapid effects of pulse corticosteroid therapy on the serous retinal detachment found at the acute phase of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease. Interventional case series. Nine Japanese patients determined to be at the acute phase of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease with serous retinal detachment were treated with pulse corticosteroid therapy. Optical coherence tomography was used to follow the resolution of the retinal detachment. Optical coherence tomography images showed a marked decrease in the retinal detachment immediately after the first intravenous injection of corticosteroid and subsequent resolution. The rapid improvement of serous retinal detachment associated with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease following pulse corticosteroid therapy supports an early therapeutic mechanism related to improved permeability of capillaries and permeability of the blood-retinal barrier rather than an anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive action.