ENDOGENOUS ENDOPHTHALMITIS SIMULATING RETINOBLASTOMA - THE 1993 DAVID-AND-MARY-SESLEN-ENDOWMENT-LECTURE

Background: Among conditions that can simulate retinoblastoma, endogen ous endophthalmitis is quite rare. Methods: Case records of six childr en with unusual forms of endogenous endophthalmitis, ail of whom were referred to the authors because retinoblastoma was a strong diagnostic consideration, were reviewed. The clinical features that may help dif ferentiate atypical endophthalmitis from retinoblastoma were investiga ted. Results: The final diagnosis in these cases included idiopathic s ubretinal abscess, streptococcal endophthalmitis, idiopathic retinovit real abscess, cytomegalovirus endophthalmitis, Candida endophthalmitis , and meningococcal endophthalmitis. All of the affected children pres ented primarily with ocular findings without serious systemic infectio n. Although these conditions closely simulated retinoblastoma, they we re more likely to have signs of concurrent or prior inflammation. Conc lusion: Differentiation between infectious conditions and retinoblasto ma can sometimes be difficult, but clues as to the diagnosis can be ob tained from careful clinical examination.